4 ms·
A few more of my own: Being told "how" instead of "what". Use this API to access that database to do this process. Don't tell me how to do something. Tell m
by edw519 16y ago
A few more of my own:
Being told "how" instead of "what". Use this API to access that database to do this process. Don't tell me how to do something. Tell me what you want. Let me figure out how. That's my job.
Being told "what" instead of "why". So you need a 4 GB csv download of the entire database every day at noon? Why? Oh, in that case, why don't you just use <somethingElse> which has been right at your fingertips all along. If you don't understand the system, ask and I'll be glad to help. But don't make up unnecessary work for me.
Being asked for data to put into your Excel spreadsheet which you will screw up 8 minutes later. Then you want me to fix it. Forget it. If you have a business problem, tell me about it. We will find a solution together. Lone rangers don't get help. I'm not Tonto.
Calling me every 42 minutes for 3 days asking, "Is it done yet?" No, it's not. I'll let you know when it is and if there's a problem, I'll let you know about that, too.
Not calling me for 3 weeks after a release. Either it's working perfectly or no one's using it. It would be nice to know which.
Criticizing my work in a meeting in front of others without talking to me first. Big mistake. You don't want to piss off your waiter and you don't want to piss off your programmer.
Meetings when a phone call would have sufficed.
Phone calls when an email would have sufficed.
Status meetings. Pointless. I'll email status. Any questions, click "Reply".
Code walkthroughs that are more concerned with syntax than function.
SQL SELECTs inside of iterations. Please go work at McDonald's.
Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX).
Web filters that screen out Hacker News. Grounds for divorce.
- jacquesm 16y agoIf you list 'how' instead of 'what' and then continue to list 'what' instead of 'why', you could save yourself one aggravation in between by being merely upset at 'how' instead of 'why' ;)
- pchristensen 16y ago"how instead of what" - to do something "what instead of why" - they need something
- avinashm 16y agoYou don't want to piss off your waiter and you don't want to piss off your programmer.
- weaksauce 16y agoAnytime I find myself at a customer site with an overzealous webfilter it's time to fire up my trusty ssh tunneling for web traffic.
- umjames 16y agoGreat list. I'd add on to that: 1. Employee self-assessment forms - We don't need HR to make to my manager make me tell him what I think I do well/poorly. Business jargon is no substitute for 2-way honest conversation. 2. Managers that try to shoehorn every problem into one solution. 3. Being restricted to technology choices that your manager knows. 4. Being the single go-to guy for everything in your department because no one else is interested enough to learn things on their own - Want me to setup your enterprise Java portal while fixing IE CSS/Javascript bugs that our web developers couldn't figure out while debugging a WordPress plugin for another department? Sure, you want fries with that order, sir?
- ehnus 16y agoI don't mind fixing other peoples problems. I will even stay late to do so if asked but if you do so and then fuck off out of the office at 5:00pm you can better believe I'll be doing the same. If your problem isn't an emergency for you then it isn't one for me either. Calling my work shit without providing any constructive feedback, problem details, or patches will tend to make your future requests for help go straight to the bottom of my priority list. Blaming me or my work for a problem you are experiencing without performing any investigation into what actually the problem is also will make any future requests for help go straight to the bottom of my priority list. Not quite as far down as the category above though. I don't want to sound like a prima-donna but I don't like creating unnecessary work for others because most people have better things to do, I just wish this was reciprocated more often.