> People like fire fighters. The fire inspector is broadly considered annoying. Good engineering orgs don't think that way. However it's also true that you nee

> People like fire fighters. The fire inspector is broadly considered annoying. Good engineering orgs don't think that way. However it's also true that you need to build credibility and trust, and have some communication skills and an understanding of the larger picture, in order to act as a successful fire inspector. Improvement work always has to be balanced against feature development, but if you can show that developer productivity and the reliability of the product are being impacted, good managers will tend to listen. (Conversely, if those things aren't impacted, then why is your suggestion important?) If they don't care, it's time to move on. Seriously: there has never been a better job market in software and if you aren't happy you should be looking for other jobs.