First of all, I completely understand your frustration. It is (unfortunately) a
very common thing in IT project. IMO, this sounds like a problem with project
methodology and communication to me. There is a secondary concern with the
adoption of a new technology after the start of the project, but I think the
main problem is method. You may want to research an agile approach like Extreme
Programming (XP) and apply that to your effort. With XP, you are part of the
solution as it evolves. You don''t just generate a "spec" and
walk away, only to return later and see that there was a miscommunication. You
work with the developers to gradually implement the solution you really
want...incrementally.
I would also suggest that it sounds to me like your consultants are in over
their head. No disrespect intended, but if they are dealing with a complex new
system and new technology and responding by blaming you for changing your mind,
you should look elsewhere for help.
Good Luck,
Nathan
-----Original Message-----
From: rails-bounces@lists.rubyonrails.org
[mailto:rails-bounces@lists.rubyonrails.org]On Behalf Of maxxx232
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 6:51 PM
To: rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
Subject: [Rails] Here''s the skinny.
Thanks for all the replies. I will try to explain.. further.
Let me start by saying - I had a long and productive meeting today with
my programmer and we are still moving forward. The difficulty is that
he lost his two partners ($$) and after almost 11 months on the job
cannot commit to a completion date. Frankly, he is scared to because he
has done so and been wrong multiple times already.
When he started the job, I suspected he underbid it - but figured we''d
cross that bridge when we got to it. In June I offered a bonus (50% of
the origonal contract) in exchange for a managed schedule. They
committed ...and missed/decided 4 weeks into it that it was impossible.
Today he reaffirmed his committment to finish the project (by himself)
however, he insists that my requirements make it impossible for him to
manage his time. I''ll explain more later.
4-5 years ago I built an Access application to manage my Employment
Agency systems. My programming experience ended with Pascal back in
college - so it isn''t pretty, however it is still very robust and it
does ALOT!
We record and catalogue every conversation. Whether its with a client
company, an employee or a vendor. We do searches and matches of course.
We have (internal) job postings that we are constantly trying to fill.
We track payroll - including "certified" and child support
withholdings.
We manage unemployment and workers compensation costs. We schedule
meetings. We track time in-house.
On the down-side: we duplicate alot of stuff for Quickbooks. We are not
on the web. We have alot of "work-arounds". We don''t have
efficient
methods of rating and calaloging our applicants. Consequently alot of
stuff falls through the cracks. There are a few other cool things that
we want that I won''t discuss here.
When we first started the project we spent 10 or more weeks trying to
write the spec and writing very minimal code. That turned out to be a
good thing, because shortly after that they discovered Ruby. They got
all excited about the new possibilities and began building some really
(i mean really) cool stuff!
Our first deadline came and went and it became more obvious that
schedueling a completion date would be difficult. I started to ride
them a little harder. Looking for something tangeable. They wern''t
asking for money - instead they were doing other jobs. So I forced them
to take money, thinking it would make them more committed to my
deadlines. All it seemed to to was add pressure that their creative
genius'' couldn''t function under. They began to patronized me
by showing
me "stuff" - which made me not trust them. When I didnt trust them I
began to try to micro-manage them. By micro-manageing them, they began
to resent me. A really viscious circle apparently.
So here''s what I think. I''m intimatley involved with the
process. I
want a program that perfectly mimics what our job is - how the company
works. I want a virtual babysitter. I contend that I know exactly what
the process is (we are doing most of it now) and I just want them to
build the program that mimics it.
The complaint is that they will code for 40 hours then when I sit with
them they say that "I change my mind". However, I believe that its
really just a communication issue. They hear me talk then translate it
in their mind to how a computer could do it.
I finally was able to prove this concept a few weeks ago, one of them
was keeping the usual minutes while i looked at the program on a
seperate monitor. We agreed on something, and he typed the decision.
Then it hit me!! I asked to see his notes and as suspected they DID NOT
SAY what I had just meant!
They want to build a "box". They want me to tell them what goes into
the box and the result that I want out of it - period.
I want something more. I think that the Ray Kroc''s (inventor of the
McDonalds franchise) of the 21st century companies will build
applications/systems that will be more than just another tool that they
use. The application will BE the business. Of course we see that
already - but not so much in "people" business''. A computer
can take
all of the human steps out of the process. Monster.com is the opposite
to our "people oriented" business model.
Sorry. I''m on a rant. But my point is that they blame me for
constantly distracting them from their "box" model. Ironically enough
they always seem to have fun - that is until it comes to deadlines.
My Questions: Am I unreasonable? Do I need to accept that this project
may not honestly be completed for another 6 months?
(If your still with me - thanks for listening)
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
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