In response to my last rant pertaining developers and their curious ability to mangle turn-key templates into a train wreck Mike writes:
A keen observation. And as a result I take back seventeen percent of what I said earlier because in those situations it's not likely the developers fault but the peeps who sign the checks. The boss, the managers, the editors, the directors, the producers: The Middle Management Club.
What is it about this group that they have such a hard time make decisions and sticking to them?
I've witnessed many disasters take place (hell I've been in the eye of the storm more too many times) and more money thrown at a 'the problem' because someone upstairs wavered and chose the different course. Seldom have I seen that decision making turn out successful.
I guess that's why Douglas Adams made a point of sending middle managers into the heart a burning sun (or something like that's it's been too long since I read Hitchhiker's Guide).
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Actually they're sent to the Earth. When Arthur travels back in time (using the floating Chesterfield couch) he finds out that humans are all descended from a group of middle managers who were rejected from a civilization in another star system.
It's important to note that the civilization quickly died from an infectious disease spread by unclean telephones.
(if I remember all that right...)
As a middle manager, I have to politely disagree.
Coming from the programming/design team into management, I find it is a delicate balance of trying to stick to a budget which often isn't big enough, getting everything perfect, and keeping my boss happy.
Often it isn't middle management saying, "that's good enough," it comes from higher than that.
Actually, Douglas Adams made them your ancestors.
It was middle management, junior art directors and telephone cleaners.
You have to disagree Sheldon, your position depends on it.
;)
Maybe your boss would be happy if the job was done correctly, so you should concentrate on that rather than "making him happy". Though I do appreciate the horrible juggling act that suits force those of us in the trenches to participate in.
Ummm, Greg, did you get a copy of the memo?
Yeeeah.
We didn't get a cover sheet with your TPS report. We've started putting cover sheets on ALL our TPS reports.
I'm gonna make sure you get a copy of the memo.
... That would be greeeeaaaat.
Middle management, developers or whoever. When something in the HTML breaks they'll come back to you with the bugreport...
By the way - why exactly "seventeen percent"?
Reminds me of my favorite saying -- butchered to hell of course.
On time, Under budget or Done right -- pick two.
Greg, I've seen this happen time and time again where I work. And you're right, it's the people in upper management that are typically the problem.
All they see is a deadline, and making that deadline is the only thing that matters. They could care less if the product is a piece of shit when they cross the finish line, as long as it works the way the requirements specify. All they care about is that they can tell their bosses they got the project done on time.
I call this "executive centered design". (Who's the hell's this 'user' person? They don't pay my salary!)
On time, Under budget or Done right -- pick two.
That needs to be turned into an team motivation poster.
In my experience it usually comes down to budget. Managers, directors, owners, presidents, etc all want $50,000 of work and features for $25,000. Of course any committee-driven project is going to be a mess because nobody's in charge. Non-profit associations are the worst, they make 'lowest common denominator' types of decisions. Logic doesn't exist in the non-profit universe, must be a lack of funding that somehow bends the rules of time and space.
If it's not dev, it's marketing, if it's not marketing it's middle management, if it's not middle management it's the muckymucks, if it's not the muckymucks it's an act of CEO.
Not matter how you slice it, unless you're in totally control things go off the rails.
Why do you think design showcases are all about personal portfolios?
Gorilla--
Logic does indeed find itself under some powerful transformations in the non-profit universe, but I would put the blame a bit higher on the chain of command than middle management. This comes from an involved standpoint, I was the youngest person elected to serve on the Red Cross's Board of Directors, and although I had little business experience when I was that age even I could recognize that it's the entire nonprofit universe that's totally screwed up.
To make a totally inelegant analogy, you can't fault people for having bad depth perception when the gods only gave them one eye to begin with. Or something.
I'm a recovering middle-manager... for a marketing department. It's a position which includes all of the responsiblility, and none of the authority. That's the WORST person you can ever work for, in any organization. It seemed there was never enough time to do things right, but somehow always enough time to do things twice... or three times... or nine. Happy to say I've been clean and sober now for 8 months.
As for the Giants, their own happiness was short-lived as they lost to - who else?