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Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

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Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#91

Post by darth_avocado »

runamuck wrote: post #29
hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

Easy - half a$$ your code and when it breaks - swoop in, "fix things" (actually do it right) and play the role of hero! (I've seen so-called "Rock Stars" at places I worked do this over and over)

That's literally how promo packs work in FAANG (minus the N) and other adjacent tech companies.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#92

Post by godelski »

cutemonster wrote: post #70
somethoughts wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One approach to showing value is as follows: 1.) Create a spreadsheet with all of the features of your group's/company's products(s) listed in rows. 2.) Create a column for every team member in the group and highlight the lead developers for each feature. 3.) Then ask each team member to add a checkmark in their column for every feature for which they would be willing to be on hook for 24x7 triage pager duty. Over th…

Couldn't there then be a risk that now some people want to avoid higher risk projects, and just build the simpler features, and get more checkmarks What if the table in fact shows which people are best at dodging the hard work Combined with showing who has the most friends in the office (giving checkmarks to features built by one's friends)

> Couldn't there then be a risk that now some people want to avoid higher risk projects, and just build the simpler features, and get more checkmarks

This is kinda a well known phenomena in medicine[0]. Same with lawyers. I'm just reminded of this scene from Silicon Valley[1]. It's messed up and why everyone needs to be very careful with metrics and remember that metrics are only guides, not targets.

[0] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/29/doctors-avoi...

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sTbjO3eI_0

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#93

Post by FridgeSeal »

somethoughts wrote: post #52
hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

One approach to showing value is as follows: 1.) Create a spreadsheet with all of the features of your group's/company's products(s) listed in rows. 2.) Create a column for every team member in the group and highlight the lead developers for each feature. 3.) Then ask each team member to add a checkmark in their column for every feature for which they would be willing to be on hook for 24x7 triage pager duty. Over th…

Kind of ignores the risk externalities have on projects no? If you tried your best to deliver something, but another teams priorities changed, or the business/market shifted, or the project got bogged down in planning/politics outside of that team members control, or if the team needs to integrate with a system (external or legacy) that’s out of their control and is notoriously flaky and torpedoes their velocity and morale.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#94

Post by xcv123 »

IshKebab wrote: post #81
reaperducer wrote: post #79

Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf] I'm reminded of this every time I see some YouTuber or other social media click bait claiming that the Y2K bug was no big deal. The reason it was no big deal is because thousands of graybeards, like myself, stayed up many long nights for months ahead of time making sure things would work. I still remember the tension during the countdown to…

I still don't quite buy that. Surely it's because computers mostly use epoch time for dates, not dd/mm/yy? Guess we'll find out in 2038.

Many old programs written last century did not use epoch time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem#On_1_January...

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#96

Post by samstave »

runamuck wrote: post #29
hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

Easy - half a$$ your code and when it breaks - swoop in, "fix things" (actually do it right) and play the role of hero! (I've seen so-called "Rock Stars" at places I worked do this over and over)

For i in employment ensure there is someone who checks in with me every month when they read this line of code, else, stop code from running so they come to me.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#97

Post by ghaff »

nsxwolf wrote: post #25
gumby wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

The mitigations were done so well today the public remembers Y2K as a “scam”.

I suspect most people don't even remember a 25-year ago (what intervention made a) non-event as anything.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#98

Post by cjohnson318 »

jgeada wrote: post #69

Reminds me of this cartoon (which I have posted on my office): https://naksecurity.medium.com/the-detriments-of-hero-cultur... This is why in many corporate cultures it pays not to proactively stop a problem that you know how to fix if the problem is not in your immediate problem area. Let it be noticed, let it become someone else's emergency, then fix it. Much better path to a reward that way. Of course, you should…

I think that over time people realize who has a fire drill every month, and who quietly just gets things done.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#99

Post by DanielHB »

nomel wrote: post #19

In 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…

Reminds me that one time I found 17 databases in our org without backups configured. All I got was a thanks from some devops guy and no manager even heard of the problem...

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#100

Post by cjbgkagh »

hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

I've done that as an hourly contractor, I fixed their 6 month problem on my first day, I hoped they would then hire me for more hours on other stuff but they were like nope, that was all we needed. They did tell some other companies that I was good at this kind of stuff but nothing came of it. My first and last day in contracting for small companies.
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