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Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
11–20 of 446 posts
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#12[flagged]
If only! Lots of things seem obvious, like common sense, but they apparently aren't because the behavior of many organizations is to reward the firefighters, to push "work harder" over "work smarter", and other behaviors that (in the long term) impede their ability to improve or expand their capabilities.
I liked the quote in the 2015 submission that twic posted [0], it relates back to the "seems obvious" sentiment. A lot of good solutions are simple (or composed of simple elements in a sane and reasonable fashion). But arriving at those solutions is decidedly not simple or obvious if we go by the Rube Goldberg machines that people end up contriving instead.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#13In about that same timeframe, Y2K is also really good example. Nothing of note really happened. But if people had just ignored it a lot of things probably would have.
What, what do you mean nothing happened? I'm in my underground bunker, do you think it would be safe to come out and look around? You guys are all in your Y2K underground bunkers still, right?
Yeah, it's the year 24, don't worry about it. A human is probably still able to type this.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#14just aint true if you file a bug report
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#15Another variation on the problem is the over-allocation of resources to preventing problems which actually happened once, versus those that are more severe but haven't happened yet. This is a management problem, because no-one wants to be accountable for a repeat incident even if it was rational to be working on something else more important.
There's a ton of reactionary legislation on the books that exists pretty much entirely because politicians wanted to be seen doing something. It's mostly crap.
Yeah, the legendary politician's fallacy:
1) We must do something.
2) This is something.
3) Therefore, we must do this.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#16In about that same timeframe, Y2K is also really good example. Nothing of note really happened. But if people had just ignored it a lot of things probably would have.
This is a very important case. There was an enormous investment in fixing Y2K, starting long before the day in question (e.g. financial instruments with expiration dates after Y2K had to be fixed before they became due), so on the day there was only a smattering of minor residual bugs. There were a few jokes about it in the newspapers but by and large the public just ignored it. I work on climate and hope / hoped tha…
> I work on climate and hope / hoped that the same would happen, but it's looking like it will soon get everybody's attention regardless.
Unfortunately those fixes are slated for Humanity 2.0, Homo extinctus.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#17In about that same timeframe, Y2K is also really good example. Nothing of note really happened. But if people had just ignored it a lot of things probably would have.
This is a very important case. There was an enormous investment in fixing Y2K, starting long before the day in question (e.g. financial instruments with expiration dates after Y2K had to be fixed before they became due), so on the day there was only a smattering of minor residual bugs. There were a few jokes about it in the newspapers but by and large the public just ignored it. I work on climate and hope / hoped tha…
Y2K would negatively impact companies' bottom lines if not dealt with, directly, in a short and known timeline, in predictable ways.
Climate change will impact companies in different ways at different times. Oil companies, for instance, are incentivized to ramp up production as much as possible while also diversifying.
The way to get all companies to take appropriate actions is to not allow them to externalize costs. That means a significant carbon tax.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#18In about that same timeframe, Y2K is also really good example. Nothing of note really happened. But if people had just ignored it a lot of things probably would have.
Yeah. I've heard folk who should know better (looking at you, John C. Dvorak) call Y2K a nothingburger and suggest the effort to prevent problems was a total boondoggle.
Disclaimer: I was part of that effort. The funny thing was that I was brought back to a previous client to fix something that my previous efforts had literally caused. Took me 20 minutes to fix it once I saw what the problem was. And then there was a "while you're here, can you take a look at this ..." That lasted about two years until they closed the department and moved it to NY, NY.
At least I got credit in terms of billable hours.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#19In our org, this was brought up. People who had problems, then fixed them, were the ones being seen and recognized by higher level management, and awarded for fixing the problems, when they, often, shouldn't have happened in the first place.
Now we have something akin to a "person that prevents problems" award. It's a nice gesture, but, even though I received one, I think it's mostly nonsense. You don't get the face time/experience presenting with the higher level managers. It's almost impossible to prove that you prevented catastrophes, by working extra hours, or doing the right thing. Nobody likes a "Hey look, I told you so!" sort of perspective, no matter how it's framed.
To me, this is the most gratification-limiting aspect of being a software engineer: time is required to test quality of foresight/design. Rewarding retroactively, for great past decisions, doesn't happen. There are systems I designed, when making a pittance for compensation, that's still being used a decade later, across multiple companies, almost entirely unmodified. That, now objectively, good work wasn't seen or recognized by anyone paying me at the time, and can't be seen by anyone now. I burned good time for a "good job me!" as a reward. As I get older, that mental masturbation seems less desirable, since it's usually at the expense of the surprisingly limited life credits that we spend on those tasks. But along with most other nerds, I can hardly stop myself because it's an innate obsession.
Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]
#20This happens in organizations that don't measure and respect precursors or leading indicators of success/failure -- organizations that do not practice organizational observability, to coin a phrase. Which is to say, most of them, because this is not something one thinks of until one has suffered its absence. Your managers have to think like SREs, and be technically sophisticated enough to model and address this problem.
Does anyone know any great management books on this subject?