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the empire strikes back
Wednesday, July 14 1999
Engineering had a big meeting today, and I knew it wasn't going to be your typical yawner. The female co-founder got to present the case against the new architecture, with necessary support from those of us in the peanut gallery. The VP of System Architecture (who'd been at Disneyland during our covert rebellion yesterday) was, for the first time, on the defensive. He had to address our issues point by point, and though he did a very good job convincing us that he was actually on the road to success, the Grand Pooh Bah, who was also present, finally articulated the words we'd been waiting for, the words that any rational person knew needed to be said, that us web developers should continue developing on the old architecture until the new architecture is in place. This was all I had been asking for. Even if the new architecture dies in the cradle, the corporation can go on.
There was another meeting later in the evening with more defense of the New Architecture coming from the New Architecture guys. It didn't really matter any more, though, we developers had what we needed. But we did the charitable thing and heard the Architecture Boys out. Though my confidence in their success has actually been bolstered (these guys have an unusual persuasive talent), I'm glad my work is no longer contingent on their delivery of a New Architecture.
The very fact that these meetings allowed me (and others) to feel better about the company was entirely related to something that had been lacking up until now: communication. The VP of System Architecture had made a grave miscalculation a couple months ago when he decided to completely isolate his team from "the rest of us" developers. The lack of communication eventually bore fruit as a vote of no-confidence in their project, a vote so strong and loud that they had to spend all day defending themselves against it. And in the end they were further weakened; no longer do our company's short term plans depend on their product.
When I got home tonight, I had three packages waiting for me. One was a book called Death March, the "developer's guide to surviving mission impossible projects." It had been recommended by one of my readers and I'd reflexively bought it from Amazon.com (admitting my newbie status: it was my first-ever Amazon purchase). I'm very glad I got it. It's an excellent, well-written book. From what I've seen of it so far I'd say it's at least as valuable to my career as the most crucial programming reference I have. It discusses such issues as the 80-20 rule, engineer completion time inflation, manager completion time deflation, and all other details of my day-to-day work environment. It's astounding to me that there's already an advanced sociological science studying the details of the unreal world in which I work.
Other snail mail I got today included a painting from Andy Shaver, the guy for whom I did my last commission painting. As payment for this work, he's told me that he wants "drugs." I'll see what I can do.
The last package was the Sallielou painted saw blade. It was a lot heavier than I'd remembered.
It's kind of nice having the whole house to myself while Kim is in Michigan. Being basically a loner type, my greatest, deepest concentration depends on complete isolation from even the chance of interruption. I doubt anyone will ever change this aspect of my personality and certainly no one, least of all Kim, should take offense that I'm this way.
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