(no subject)

[jon787.livejournal.com]

How many of you have been asked to write an interface to something so that "anyone" can use it. But instead of using the nice interface you wrote, they still demand that you do it?

We have this equipment checkout system that was written in PHP by a friend of mine. It used to be that to add new equipment or remove old equipment required manually adding it to the database with SQL commands (or phpMyAdmin). During a PHP upgrade it all broke and since he didn't have time to fix it, I adopted the software. One of the requests from the support people was a real web interface to adding/removing equipment from the system. So I wrote one and it works really well, except for the fact that instead of using it they email me.

Comments

[kerberos.livejournal.com]

Just do a quick writeup on why your system saves time and what you could rather be doing and present it to your boss.

If done right most bosses will make it policy, and then you can just refer to that policy when being emailed.

Unless you have a moron boss that is, in which case you're screwed anyway.

[kallell.livejournal.com]

I do that, but i still dont trust people and do it myself anyways

[tecie.livejournal.com]

Been there.
The first thing to do is reply with a form letter. Make it look system generated (also make sure to be using a shared mailbox if possible.) Bounce anything that's directed to you personally.
Make sure the documentation is out there in a place they *should* be seeing it. Then add a note that the system will be unattended except for monthly maintence by the admins.
And then everytime things don't show up in the system for weeks, make sure they ask you in a meeting with the higher ups.
Ask very innocently -- "The company funded the development of a self management interface, and I'm otherwise engaged on other projects. Additionally, I'm only funded to maintain the system."
This got a giant monkey off of my back with the Asset Management system here.
Oh, in the rare event that you have some sort of help, ensure that your cowworkers and subordinates are on the same wavelegnth as you. Don't allow them to be extra super helpful because then people will expect that level of service from someone who's actually qualified.
This might sound like a BOFH thing, but it really does work and is nessesary. If you work for a sufficiently huge and faceless megacorp, you can also explain that when you are gone the system can continue without your assistance. I personally try to budget at least 10% of the gross time of any project for documentation alone.
If you make yourself irreplacable, you'll make yourself unpromotable.
Plus, it's fun making people squirm in meetings.

[jon787.livejournal.com]

Actually this is for the computer lab I work in at college, I graduate in 4 days.

[tecie.livejournal.com]

Well in that case, Here's your chance to have some fun!
See of you can re-enact a historic event by installing CentOS on your last day. :-)

[bekscilla.livejournal.com]

Geeez, you'd think they'd be trying to not go through you, then!

[jon787.livejournal.com]

Actually we just got a few RHEL boxen in the labs to start replacing the old Slowlaris workstations.

[canray.livejournal.com]

Ditto for me. It's not my job, but too many idiots screw it up so badly that when I do have to fix it, it's that much harder.