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Tab8715 posted:From my experience, managers and their direct reports tend to forced to take on project management roles. I'm one person that is "managing" 5 different projects right now, which basically is me calling a consultant and getting a status update sent out every Friday.
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Jul 6, 2017 02:56
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I was a good PM  E: So fo course they eliminated project management and laid me off. I guess that's the lesson.
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Jul 6, 2017 12:54
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If people aren't complaining about your deadlines, management thinks you're a bad PM.
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Jul 6, 2017 14:56
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jaegerx posted:You forgot one. Always tell them a crucial feature is coming in the next iteration. For now they have to use a lovely work around that was hacked together overnight. Our entire ticketing system was replaced after 'testing' it with sales and marketing for a few months. Not surprisingly, it's missing a ton of functionality that is critical for the teams that actually work tickets. The 'integration' with our monitoring systems is actually worse than if they didn't talk to each other at all, and basic requests are put off as 'feature upgrades' that we're told will take upwards of six months to implement. Our ticket count basically quintupled overnight, and I spend most of my shift closing duplicates instead of, y'know, actually fixing servers. We had one VM that we don't monitor, but we get alerts for the errors on the Hyper-V hosts when it's not running. 5 Host cluster, two alerts per host for the same VM, every 12 hours. Customer isn't responding to our requests to fix the VM or delete it from Hyper-V. We can't suppress these alerts without removing all 5 hosts entirely from monitoring, and even though we've handed this off because of the lack of response, the new tickets appear in our queues, and there's no way to have them generate in a different queue. Multiply poo poo like this by >1,000 customers. e: It was rolled out in a rush because our license for our previous system was expiring, and upper management did not want to renew the license for another year. The migration also lost critical pieces of information about things we are responsible for, so we're still using the old system in 'read only' status, and have to flip back and forth a lot. We can't just use the old system though, because it's not being updated, so the information is getting more out of date every day. We can only use it as a reference for info missing from the new system. Corsair Pool Boy fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Jul 6, 2017 |
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Jul 6, 2017 15:00
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When I was at Lenovo they laid off all the PMs and automated their jobs. Team leads just uploaded status to a website management could check. It was amazing
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Jul 6, 2017 15:20
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alg posted:When I was at Lenovo they laid off all the PMs and automated their jobs. Team leads just uploaded status to a website management could check. It was amazing
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Jul 6, 2017 15:31
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I have to share this message from a recruiter on Linked In today:Linked In posted:CONTOSO has a great opportunity for an IT Generalist. This is a direct hire permanent position with our client in Fort Worth, TX. After looking at your profile, you appear to have many of the skills that would be needed. Our client, a private investment firm, is seeking an experienced IT Generalist with VMWare, Windows Server and Microsoft Exchange experience to join its growing IT department. This is an entry level position, and a highly diversified position that will require employees to work about 50 hours/week yet offers complete flexibility in your schedule.
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Jul 6, 2017 16:00
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My favorite part: experienced IT Generalist with VMWare, Windows Server and Microsoft Exchange experience to join its growing IT department. This is an entry level position let alone the extra hours and poo poo.
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Jul 6, 2017 16:04
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I'm I'm going to guess they want all that for about $44k a year in salary.
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Jul 6, 2017 16:10
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The experienced entry-level role
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Jul 6, 2017 16:10
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Thanks Ants posted:The experienced entry-level role We would like experienced for cheap please. We care about our systems but we don't give a poo poo about people. Please help. I also got a funny notification on linkedin. Idiot posted:"IT Recruiter at Infinity Consulting Solutions | Collaboration, Not Automation" What a great IT slogan. Sickening fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Jul 6, 2017 |
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Jul 6, 2017 16:11
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My favorite recruiter pitches are the ones that see you're employed but wonder if maybe you'd leave that position for a 2-3 week contract
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Jul 6, 2017 16:14
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You will have plenty of flexibility in your 50 hour work weeks. You can either work 8-7 or graveyard. Your choice! (except graveyard is mandatory for new hires)
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Jul 6, 2017 16:14
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mayodreams posted:I have to share this message from a recruiter on Linked In today: I'd do it for $30/hr. I don't have any experience with VMWare, but I think they could afford me.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:14
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How am I suppose to interrupt "As your manager, I expect my direct reports to essentially manage themselves."?
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Jul 6, 2017 17:20
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It means go gently caress off and stop bothering me.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:21
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mayodreams posted:I have to share this message from a recruiter on Linked In today: Lmao tell them to gently caress off
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Jul 6, 2017 17:25
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Tab8715 posted:How am I suppose to interrupt "As your manager, I expect my direct reports to essentially manage themselves."? I can understand if your manager also had non-manager duties. I manage people and also have a primary gig. Overall I feel they are happier not being micromanaged and I am happy not to do it. If I were to say something like that to you (I wouldn't have phrased it that way) it was because you were breaking the honor system on something silly. I don't double check to make sure my team takes exactly 60 minutes for lunch for example. If someone was abusing that it would be found eventually. Saying that, there are types who can't handle the responsibility of not being micro managed.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:42
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Tab8715 posted:How am I suppose to interrupt "As your manager, I expect my direct reports to essentially manage themselves."? What do you mean? I've had several different management styles in my career. Each has their positives and negatives, and I just adapt to their style.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:43
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Tab8715 posted:How am I suppose to interrupt "As your manager, I expect my direct reports to essentially manage themselves."? This is how I am. I expect my people to see what needs doing and do the needful to the best of their ability while escalating to me or asking questions when required. I don't give a poo poo about the specifics of what they did today, I expect and trust them to be able to properly prioritize and execute without a ton of oversight. My interaction with them is mostly delegating random crap that pops up, filtering back and forth between them and upper management and a weekly meeting where we go over any major stuff and get any gripes out of their systems. Hell, I talk to MY own boss an average of... 15 minutes a month, maybe?
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Jul 6, 2017 17:56
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I'm sitting here minding my own business, head down, making good progress on a ticket. I look up at an announcement just made in company chat, "we'd like to announce the availability of our new mobile app on the iTunes app store..." Look back at ticket productionize mobile api Stand up from desk. Curse. Ask PM what the hell is going on. Seems the business team was so pleased with the app that they decided to launch early. Here's hoping the manually built Dev server with no backup or scaling capabilities lasts long enough. I will be drinking tonight. Oh yes, I will be.
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Jul 6, 2017 17:57
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That's brilliant
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Jul 6, 2017 18:31
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I think I just saw that Silicon Valley episode.
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Jul 6, 2017 18:39
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Vulture Culture posted:Project management isn't project status reporting, as much as 95% of the world's PMs would like you to believe otherwise. Yeah this, my brother is a PM and his job is WAY more than this. He deals with budgeting, resource allocation (either requesting more/removing extraneous), resolving challenges that the project team faces, ensuring documentation is created (everything from SOW to technical documentation), and being a buffer between the project team and the rest of the business. I mean there's a lot more that he does, that's just what I can think of off the top of my head.
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Jul 6, 2017 18:59
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Oh I don't doubt that there are legitimate PMs out there that add value to their company. My sample size is only two and both PMs in my company operate in the "HOLY gently caress WE NEED THIS NOW" and "LOOK WE'VE ALREADY SAID YES TO THE CUSTOMER" modes.
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Jul 6, 2017 20:34
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GreenNight posted:Best Buy is doing a $75 gift card for a working laptop. If your IT Dept is like mine, you have a shitload of old rear end laptops that "work". Limit 1 per person
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Jul 6, 2017 21:05
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Vargatron posted:Oh I don't doubt that there are legitimate PMs out there that add value to their company. My sample size is only two and both PMs in my company operate in the "HOLY gently caress WE NEED THIS NOW" and "LOOK WE'VE ALREADY SAID YES TO THE CUSTOMER" modes. 
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Jul 6, 2017 21:07
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CrazyLittle posted:Limit 1 per person I've done 4 so far and mailed in 1. I'm going back tonight to try another.
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Jul 6, 2017 21:08
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Vargatron posted:Oh I don't doubt that there are legitimate PMs out there that add value to their company. My sample size is only two and both PMs in my company operate in the "HOLY gently caress WE NEED THIS NOW" and "LOOK WE'VE ALREADY SAID YES TO THE CUSTOMER" modes. I've had two PMs that have been decent, one that didn't really know much about the subject matter but would always ask me rather than guessing, so she fell into the "good" camp, and then the line manager of those good PMs who's IT knowledge stopped being updated in 2005 and is completely useless.
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Jul 6, 2017 21:21
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Back when I worked at Time Inc., we had a pair of technical project managers from a big consultancy on the big AOL/Time Warner divorce project. This thing was like 12,000 line items and 120 people over 12 months, involving forklift upgrades of dozens of 24x7 this-can-never-go-down systems, with major changes in operating methodology for several different groups and a ton of new technologies in use, and most of their job was facilitating communication between different groups to get stuff unblocked. That project finished ten days ahead of schedule. Good PMs are worth every goddamn penny.
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Jul 6, 2017 21:24
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Vulture Culture posted:Back when I worked at Time Inc., we had a pair of technical project managers from a big consultancy on the big AOL/Time Warner divorce project. This thing was like 12,000 line items and 120 people over 12 months, involving forklift upgrades of dozens of 24x7 this-can-never-go-down systems, with major changes in operating methodology for several different groups and a ton of new technologies in use, and most of their job was facilitating communication between different groups to get stuff unblocked. That project finished ten days ahead of schedule. Good PMs are worth every goddamn penny. I agree with this. Generally, if someone has their PMP they are probably worth it. I have worked with a few people who had their PMP and they were all super helpful. People who just get pushed into a project management role are garbage. I had a PM send me an email the other day, as me being the client, asking if there were any outstanding tasks before we wrapped up. Like, you're the PM and you guys know there is a bunch of outstanding stuff. It's literally your job to tell me what's outstanding.
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Jul 6, 2017 21:27
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I seriously just got an email asking me why a department printed so much this past year. Also, how can they be expected to budget properly if they don't even know how much they will print in the coming year?  I am neither finance, nor the printer police.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:08
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:I seriously just got an email asking me why a department printed so much this past year. "Because they have little to no self control."
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Jul 7, 2017 16:10
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We implemented Uniflow for printing accountability. But nobody feels like being the printer police, including upper management. "Holy poo poo we printed 2000 color copies in May?!? This cost us a fortune!" "According to this report it was Jane" "Oh. Must have had a good reason for it  "
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Jul 7, 2017 16:10
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Judge Schnoopy posted:We implemented Uniflow for printing accountability. But nobody feels like being the printer police, including upper management. Jane must be giving the CEO hand jobs after hours.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:13
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Vargatron posted:Jane must be giving the CEO hand jobs after hours.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:16
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I just ran the actual reports and can see the problem. We printed 66000 pages last month, 4000 color, and the top 5 (responsible for about 40% of that alone) are within the top two tiers of our org chart. The ones doing the printing are the ones paying the bills so of course all of their print jobs are justified.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:36
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I had a user "accidentally" print a "funny yet improper joke" (porn) to a random assistant's printer. She was not happy. No one got fired over it.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:38
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Judge Schnoopy posted:I just ran the actual reports and can see the problem. We printed 66000 pages last month, 4000 color, and the top 5 (responsible for about 40% of that alone) are within the top two tiers of our org chart. The ones doing the printing are the ones paying the bills so of course all of their print jobs are justified. "How can we save money on printing supplies next year" "Idk maybe not print 1mil+ pages a year?" "that's just not feasible" a real conversation
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Jul 7, 2017 16:39
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Internet Explorer posted:I had a user "accidentally" print a "funny yet improper joke" (porn) to a random assistant's printer. She was not happy. No one got fired over it.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:40
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