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| 7/9 |
| 2006/10/3-5 [Industry/Jobs, Computer/SW/Languages] UID:44643 Activity:kinda low |
10/3 My manager and the project manager refuses to have a project plan
(i.e., schedule). Instead, they opted to track progress via bugzilla.
Now my manager wants to know when we can release the product. I
told him that we really need a schedule to know that. He then placed
the blame on me for not having a schedule. How would you respond to
this? -abused employee
\_ http://csua.org/u/h35
\_ Let me counter with something more useful:
http://csua.org/u/h37
\_ It sounds like you are the technical lead. The PM is the PM, and
your manager is just a middle manager. As the technical lead, you
should obtain whatever data you can from above on what the
schedule requirements are (this can even be just a "complete by"
date), and create an implementation plan according to any dates.
\_ Just do your own project management. I have often had to do this
at various points in my career when my bosses were idiots. This
also helps make you ready for the jump to the next level, if
are so interested. -ausman
\_ This is a pretty standard problem. Check out the author
Steve McConnell, and browse through his books Code Complete,
Software Estimation and Rapid Development. Trust me, you are
not alone. There are plenty of good discussions and data out
there to help you deal with bad software management. --peterl
there to help you deal with bad software managers. --peterl
\_ You made a mistake on day 1 when you knew you needed a schedule
and didn't make one. Next time just make a schedule. Print it
and email it to your manager. At that point it becomes his
problem if he doesn't like it or it doesn't fit business needs.
For your current situation, you can either flip him off and get
another job, or you can take the mature approach, tell him it isn't
about finger pointing but team success, blah blah, and sit his
dumb ass down to write a real schedule from the point you're at now.
\_ He was adamant about not having a schedule. He made it clear
that he did not believe in it. He has tried it and it has
failed every time. I don't mind working on a schedule now,
but knowing him, I know he will then turn around and say
that's something I should have done at the beginning. So
instead of being praised for taking the initiative, I will
get blamed for starting it late.
\_ Yeah, a lot of incompetent and/or inexperienced software
managers behave like this. I would suggest browsing through
those books, or similar ones, that I mentioned. If your
manager is unwilling to make changes and continues to blame
you even after you discuss professional engineering standards
with him, then you'll probably have to transfer, quit, or
bring it up with his bosses. Feel free to email me if you
want to talk about this further. --peterl
\_ In this case, if he didn't want a schedule, you should have
showed him an implementation plan, but one without dates.
\_ Wow, that sucks. What I have learned (the hard way) to do
with shitty managers who refuse to follow common good
practice or make bad calls is to send them an email spelling
out what they told me to do and ask them to confirm.
"So, Bob, just wanted to make sure we're on the same page and
you don't want a formal schedule for this project." The
smart ones get the message. The dumb ones will fail and
blame you no matter what. If your manager really is that
dumb then sometimes quitting (or finding a new job in the
same company if the place is big enough) is the only answer.
It still sounds like your situation might be salvagable but
I'd have my resume up to date just in case. BTW, according
to my tech recruiter friend there are lots of jobs now but
no one applying for them.
\_ I tried that. I think my manager falls into the later
category. I would send out minutes and he always later
claims that I shouldn't dwell on what we decided before--
as a startup, we need to be nimble and adapt. Bottom
line is, regardless what I do, I am always wrong, even
if it were his bad decision.
\_ Just go get another job then. There are plenty out
there right now.
if it were his badi decision. |
| 7/9 |
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| csua.org/u/h35 -> www.amazon.com/Going-Postal-Rebellion-Workplaces-Clinton%bfs/dp/1932360824/sr=8-1/qid=1159908531/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8959793-8331230?ie=UTF8&s=books DVD Editorial Reviews Book Description An eye-opening look at the phenomenon of school and workplace shootings in America, Going Postal explores the rage-murder phenomenon that has plagued -- and baffled -- America for the last three decades, and offers some provocative answers to the oft-asked question, "Why?" By juxtaposing the historical place of rage in America with the social climate that has existed since the 1980s -- when Reaganomics began to widen the gap between executive and average-worker earnings -- the author crafts a convincing argument that these schoolyard and office massacres can be seen as modern-day slave rebellions. He presents many fascinating and unexpected cases in detail. Like slave rebellions, these massacres are doomed, gory, sometimes even inadvertently comic, and grossly misunderstood. Taking up where Bowling for Columbine left off, this book seeks to set these murders in their proper context and thereby reveal their meaning. My boss asked me what I was reading, I told him about it, and then said, "You'd better watch out," because I'm something of a loose cannon. He compares post office, workplace and school shootings to slave uprisings, and goes far into his comparisons by quoting the language surrounding both rebellions. Where Columbine's murderers were motivated by base evil and video games, Nat Turner's slave army seemed to be motivated by base evil and the ingratitude and treachery of the negroes, in the media accounts of the time. Ames doesn't think these accounts cover for the hostile environments that precipitated the attacks, rather he believes that the problem was that slavery was ingrained in the value systems of Nat Turner's time, so much so that they couldn't see anything anyone would find objectional about it, in much the same way that we can't admit now that our culture has something to do with the recent epidemic of rage massacres. It's an unwieldy topic, but Ames does a terrific job with it. One thing I would have liked to see would be a handling of the original march to unionization. I guess that at the time, the government didn't support companies killing their employees with low wages and unsafe conditions quite so much. It begins by comparing modern workers to slaves -- making a compelling argument that modern day workplace rampages are analogous to slave revolts. Later he investigates school rage like "columbine" and asserts that it is a different thread of essentially the same phenomenon. Ames does an admirable job backing all of these claims up with a wealth of case studies. Unfortunately the final quarter of the book falls well short of the preceding material. Instead of weaving the threads together and clearly explaining how and why the modern worker is a slave, Ames assigns full blame for the massacres on Ronald Reagan and the spirit he engendered in our nation. He impressively shows how everyone, starting at nursery school, is everyone's enemy and how this leads to anger which sometimes is disposed of in the form of a workplace/school shooting, more oftentimes however in imitaging the bahaviour of foremen/teachers/bosses once on is in their position. Blame in America is always cast on the weak, the poor, the helpless. And in the end, the slaves worship their master because he, their tormentor, is what they desire to be. From page 242 of the book: "Why do we need to celebrate, with a kind of malicious pride, our worsening condition? A mindset, such as the American, which measures everything in terms of material success, popularity and immediate gratification cannot support notions such as solidarity, sympathy or justice. This book is an upright tome on the degeneration of American society in it's last days. Sadly, the book does not portait ways out of the vicious circle of hate, which is the only lack the work has. Out of everything I have read about workplace and school shootings, I think Mark Ames finally gets it right. Unfortunately, no mainstream press dared to pick this up, but I think the book will change the minds of anyone who happens to read it. See all my reviews School and workplace murders have grown yearly since they evolved in the early 1980s and have developed into a dangerous trend that holds great social significance for the country. Ames considers the many cases in GOING POSTAL: RAGE, MURDER, AND REBELLION: FROM REAGAN'S WORKPLACES TO CLINTON'S COLUMBINE AND BEYOND. Chapters examine the most unique and unexpected cases, equating workplace massacres to modern day slave rebellions which are sometimes misunderstood. These deadly acts of violence reflect a world where working isn't what it should be: GOING POSTAL asks questions on why. These office massacres usually blamed on the preperator or his instability are here examined from a different perspective. This work humanizes the perpetrators and examines their psychological motivations. These portraits in no way condone the horrible crimes, but they do explain them in heartbreaking detail, and make us feel tremendous sympathy for these individuals despite the horrible deeds they did. I'm a little less convinced with Ames comparisons between these events and earlier slave revolts, but the comparisons should be considered. The sad thing is that globalization will cause events like these to continue to escalate as workers around the world share in none of the benefits of globalization and the profits all accrue to the stock holding classes. It's already here in the US where 48 million Americans don't have the guarantee of health insurance should they get sick. Like the medieval peasants, they are not deemed valuable enough for our society to spend its scarce resources on them. Read this book it will cause you to ponder the inhumanity lying behind our cruel, hyper-competitive and destructive economic system. This book is a compelling eulogy to some of the machines most pathetic victims. |
| csua.org/u/h37 -> www.amazon.com/Working-You-Killing-Me-Emotional/dp/0446576743/sr=1-1/qid=1159908818/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0323532-3197674?ie=UTF8&s=books The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge by Caitlin Friedman today! Books (50) Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly For anyone trapped in an energy-zapping relationship with a co-worker, boss or subordinate, Crowley and Elster offer an exit strategy--a highly practical and easily implemented guide to making the situation workable. Looking at the workplace from every employee's perspective, Crowley, a Harvard-trained psychotherapist, and Elster, an entrepreneurial consultant, have created a book as valuable to readers on the top rungs of the corporate ladder as it is to those near the bottom. Readers in the throes of a work crisis can find a relevant case study to lead them to relief from any situation. Whether the problem's a charming and demanding boss, dealing with a saboteur or addressing one's own inclination to play the office martyr, the authors offer frameworks for breaking down the conflict and achieving dtente. Supervisors are provided suggestions for "parenting" employees who chronically underachieve or disappoint to help them live up to expectation, or at least their job descriptions. This empowering book delivers a sense of control over nasty workplace situations. AudioFile People at work too often get emotionally hooked into tolerating and taking care of co-workers who are unproductive, annoying, needy, or destructive. Break free of such energy drains with the strategies offered by these two authors, who are both passionate and full of energizing ideas. They suggest stress management to help restore composure and balance but also ask you to carry out remedies such as documenting misbehavior and insisting that policies be enforced to correct problems. Take control of your work life by studying your company's ground rules, taking action when possible, and managing your co-dependent tendencies when they're provoked. Includes printable assessment tools for yourself and your company. learn more) First Sentence: Let's explore the two faces of business-the clear, crisp Kodak image that companies present to the outside world, versus the day-to-day reality of working in any company, which is usually messy, complicated, political, and full of emotional traps. What's the matter with them, you mutter, why can't they just change so they aren't so annoying? Let's face it, they aren't ever going to change, so instead, why not change your reaction to their maddening behavior? Or maybe the problem isn't your nutty co-worker or boss. Did you ever stop to think that you might just be your own worst enemy at work by dint of your irritating quirks? Whatever your work situation, this book has with not only the symptoms but also the cure for what ails you. The authors use questionnaires, anecdotes, and specific scenarios to come up with solutions to various work situations. Katherine Crowley, a Harvard-trained psychotherapist, and Kathi Elster, a small business expert, combined their expertise in this book. Each chapter describes the problem behavior, how you might be exacerbating the problem, and actions you can take to change your reaction to the behavior and thereby create a different result. The authors believe that the one factor having the most impact on a satisfying work environment is being able to master your state of mind, and after reading this book, I agree. They describe emotional "hooks" and delineate steps you can take to "unhook" yourself, along with setting boundaries at work. They describe the "Fatal Attractions," who suck you into their webs: the exploder, the empty pit, saboteur, pedestal smasher, and the chip-on-the-shoulder, all of whom make life miserable. But managers also have their own crosses to bear in the form of parenting their recalcitrant charges, the employees, aka the chronically delayed, MIA, cynics, passive-aggressives, attention-seekers, bad attitudes, slugs, addicts, and the thief. "If you can change your reaction, you'll change your life" resonated with me--not only in terms of my job, but also my life--and this book illuminated this for me. Armchair Interviews says: If you don't have someone at work who drives you a little batty, you must work alone. The level of stress I was under having to deal with these people nearly drove me to quit. Then I picked up this book with its very inviting title and I haven't been the same since. The authors give you solid ways to detatch from emotional situations, and how to get what you need at work. If you are having trouble with people or bosses at work, you must read this book. The book focuses on work relationships, but I found it very useful dealing with people in all walks of life, including my family. com) to anyone who has a problem with work relationships or any other relationship. This is a perfect book to give a graduating Seniors or College students as they get ready to join the business world. Help Amazon customers talk about this product and related topics. Related forums 1 discussion in 2 forums This product's forum Looking for more general discussions? |