The Art of CYA
Thursday, March 30, 2006
It seems in every project, there will be issues. Whether it's a disagreement about hours, functionality, or scope, someone will take issue with something. It is because of this that I end up dedicating a significant portion of my time to a game I call CYA. (That's Cover Your Ass, as an acronym.)
I have a current client who has managed to escalate things to the point where we might just be shipping what we've got finished at this point, only to walk away from it.
Here's rules of the game of CYA:
1) Never, NEVER, Ever, delete an email. Sort 'em, file 'em, do what you may, but have all of them ready at a moment's notice.
2) Send an email summarizing points from any phone call. This is the one that always comes back to haunt you. Some agreement was made in a phone call, and now there's no documentation to back it up. If decisions were made (or even if decisions were postponed), document it. That way, when someone screams that they don't remember something, you can drudge out that old, dusty email to remind them.
3) Use "Read Receipts" whenever possible. While sending an email is excellent backup, it's not the end of your responsibility. You still need to make sure that the receipient actually got it. Read receipts let you know the exact moment it was opened, and in many cases, even lets you know if they deleted before it was read.
4) Keep your management informed. Those individuals that will be involved when an issue gets escalated are much more likely to back you up if you've kept them in the loop to this point. If they're blindsided by an issue, they are much more likely to be skeptical of your side.
In all, if you're doing a good job, make sure it's documented. If you're slacking, there's no saving you on Escalation Day.
I have a current client who has managed to escalate things to the point where we might just be shipping what we've got finished at this point, only to walk away from it.
Here's rules of the game of CYA:
1) Never, NEVER, Ever, delete an email. Sort 'em, file 'em, do what you may, but have all of them ready at a moment's notice.
2) Send an email summarizing points from any phone call. This is the one that always comes back to haunt you. Some agreement was made in a phone call, and now there's no documentation to back it up. If decisions were made (or even if decisions were postponed), document it. That way, when someone screams that they don't remember something, you can drudge out that old, dusty email to remind them.
3) Use "Read Receipts" whenever possible. While sending an email is excellent backup, it's not the end of your responsibility. You still need to make sure that the receipient actually got it. Read receipts let you know the exact moment it was opened, and in many cases, even lets you know if they deleted before it was read.
4) Keep your management informed. Those individuals that will be involved when an issue gets escalated are much more likely to back you up if you've kept them in the loop to this point. If they're blindsided by an issue, they are much more likely to be skeptical of your side.
In all, if you're doing a good job, make sure it's documented. If you're slacking, there's no saving you on Escalation Day.
Emergency Room Visit
Monday, March 27, 2006
So, I spent yesterday in the ER. I woke up about 6 AM with a stabbing pain in my abdomen. It was centered in my front, about 1/2way between my heart and my stomach.
It was, by far, the worst pain I have ever experienced. If a 10 is me getting my hand cut off, this was a 9. I could hardly breathe. I could hardly move. And I scared the crap out of my wife when I collapsed at her side of the bed asking for a ride to the hospital. Sweating profusely, and looking the color of tapioca, we got to St. Anne's at around 7:00.
Several hours later, I'd had an EKG, given three vials of blood, stood for a chest x-ray, and been filled with a contrast agent so that stuff would show up on a CAT scan.
Final story? We don't know what was wrong. They hinted at a blood clot, but the CAT scan ruled that out. Sara seems to think it was just bad indigestion. But I've heard indigestion and acid reflux discussed by people with their symptoms, and this was not something that was going to be fixed with a purple pill. Anyways, the pain subsided around 10:30, and has been gone since.
On a lighter note, my ER and TV's ER (or Gray's Anatomy, for that matter) are vastly different. It was the most boring, slow-moving experience ever. The staff were courteous, helpful, and friendly, but there was nothing exciting whatsoever. Where's "Boring Hospital With No Blood and Guts" on TV?
It was, by far, the worst pain I have ever experienced. If a 10 is me getting my hand cut off, this was a 9. I could hardly breathe. I could hardly move. And I scared the crap out of my wife when I collapsed at her side of the bed asking for a ride to the hospital. Sweating profusely, and looking the color of tapioca, we got to St. Anne's at around 7:00.
Several hours later, I'd had an EKG, given three vials of blood, stood for a chest x-ray, and been filled with a contrast agent so that stuff would show up on a CAT scan.
Final story? We don't know what was wrong. They hinted at a blood clot, but the CAT scan ruled that out. Sara seems to think it was just bad indigestion. But I've heard indigestion and acid reflux discussed by people with their symptoms, and this was not something that was going to be fixed with a purple pill. Anyways, the pain subsided around 10:30, and has been gone since.
On a lighter note, my ER and TV's ER (or Gray's Anatomy, for that matter) are vastly different. It was the most boring, slow-moving experience ever. The staff were courteous, helpful, and friendly, but there was nothing exciting whatsoever. Where's "Boring Hospital With No Blood and Guts" on TV?
Dude!! Squeet!!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
So I was rummaging around the web, and I stumbled upon a new RSS service that seems pretty appealing to me.
It's called Squeet, and instead of just holding my RSS feeds for me, it actually emails me the posts. Yeah, yeah, there may be others that provide this same service, but they're using cool technology on top of it.
Ajax(Atlas) is the rockinest!
It's called Squeet, and instead of just holding my RSS feeds for me, it actually emails me the posts. Yeah, yeah, there may be others that provide this same service, but they're using cool technology on top of it.
Ajax(Atlas) is the rockinest!
Why Don't Users Read??
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
This is a post on user interface design for the web. I promise this will not be a technical article.
Why is it that when you provide concise instructions on a web page, even in bold text, that a user will skip right over them, start clicking, and then email you when they don't understand how to use it?
I think that the "Information Age" is also coming with some nasty side effects.
1) Handwriting is declining rapidly because everyone types everything now.
2) Because everything is typed, nobody needs to know how to spell thanks to spell-checkers. (A great poem demonstrating my point...) (Why spelling matters)
3) Knowledge is declining as well. Nobody needs to remember anything because they can Google it. Heck, even my references for this article were Googled.
4) The introduction of Attention Deficit Disorder (in adults). I have worked with hundreds of people at this point in my life, if not thousands. I would be willing to say nearly 50% could qualify as ADD candidates. Not because they need to be medicated, but because they just can't think. They will ask the same question 4 times, because the first three answers just didn't set in. They will breeze by instructions only to get confused about how something works. These people have a learned disorder. They have learned to take the path of least resistance at all costs. Is it far easier to click a button, not understand, and then email someone to help you understand it, than it is to just read two sentences, and try to understand it on your own. These individuals need life spoon-fed to them, and I'm tired of holding the spoon.
When did personal responsibility disappear? Don't even get me started on frivolous lawsuits. The same person that doesn't read instructions only to complain that they don't understand is the same person that spills coffee in their lap and places the blame anywhere but themselves. I'm sure if it wasn't McDonald's fault, it was the car manufacturer for putting the cupholders too far away.
/angry rant
Why is it that when you provide concise instructions on a web page, even in bold text, that a user will skip right over them, start clicking, and then email you when they don't understand how to use it?
I think that the "Information Age" is also coming with some nasty side effects.
1) Handwriting is declining rapidly because everyone types everything now.
2) Because everything is typed, nobody needs to know how to spell thanks to spell-checkers. (A great poem demonstrating my point...) (Why spelling matters)
3) Knowledge is declining as well. Nobody needs to remember anything because they can Google it. Heck, even my references for this article were Googled.
4) The introduction of Attention Deficit Disorder (in adults). I have worked with hundreds of people at this point in my life, if not thousands. I would be willing to say nearly 50% could qualify as ADD candidates. Not because they need to be medicated, but because they just can't think. They will ask the same question 4 times, because the first three answers just didn't set in. They will breeze by instructions only to get confused about how something works. These people have a learned disorder. They have learned to take the path of least resistance at all costs. Is it far easier to click a button, not understand, and then email someone to help you understand it, than it is to just read two sentences, and try to understand it on your own. These individuals need life spoon-fed to them, and I'm tired of holding the spoon.
When did personal responsibility disappear? Don't even get me started on frivolous lawsuits. The same person that doesn't read instructions only to complain that they don't understand is the same person that spills coffee in their lap and places the blame anywhere but themselves. I'm sure if it wasn't McDonald's fault, it was the car manufacturer for putting the cupholders too far away.
/angry rant
Math Madness!
Monday, March 13, 2006
For those of you that know me well, you already know I run an NCAA office pool every year for the Men's Basketball tournament. For those of you that don't...head over to http://www.cutdownthenets.com and fill one out! It's $5 an entry, and you could win over $500 this year if I get the 200+ entries that I am anticipating.
Anyways, the purpose of this post was not actually to promote my little website. It was to talk about the math behind the tournament. It really intrigues me. Here's some interesting tidbits for your bracket:
Anyways, the purpose of this post was not actually to promote my little website. It was to talk about the math behind the tournament. It really intrigues me. Here's some interesting tidbits for your bracket:
- At least one #12 seed has beaten a #5 seed in each of the last 5 years. Make sure you've got one.
- At least one #1 seed has been in the Final Four since the beginning of this tournament.
- All four #1 seeds have NEVER been in the Final Four together. Ever.
- In all but one year, there has been a #3 seed or lower in the Final Four.
- Finally, this is a good check once you've completed the whole thing: Add up the seeds of your Final Four. If the sum is higher than 15, or less than 7, you should probably start over. You're either promoting anarchy, or picking all favorites.
Also in my tournament, we decided to use Round scoring for the tournament. This gives you one point for a first round victory, two for a second round win, etc. This isn't my favorite, but it will do. I'll explain my favorite later. Anyways, the first round can result in 32 points. The second round is also worth 32 points. Sweet sixteen round will net you 24 points. Elite Eight will only grab ya 16. A correct championship game will get you 10 points, and the winner will get you 6. That makes for 120 total points.
My favorite scoring system is Round x Seed. This system encourages the picking of underdogs more than others. This is because for each correct pick, you get the team's seed multiplied by the round the win came in. For instance, if you pick a #12 seed correctly, you would get 12 points in the first round, and 24 if you had them winning in round 2. However, if you pick a #5 seed, you only get 5 points, and 10 in the next. Clearly picking correct underdogs is to your advantage.
Anyways, I'm just excited for the tournament to start. Good luck on your brackets!
Jeff Blankenburg is a Developer Evangelist for the Microsoft Corporation. I have a passion for user interface technologies, including CSS, 