It's been so long since I last talked to you that I've got no idea what I've said, and certainly can't recall any of what I haven't. That being the case, this conduit of creativity and consolation has been busy in the interim trying to actually get some work done whilst being constantly distracted by other people's problems. That sums up my life - counsellor to the unconsolable, dabbler in the diabolically disparate.
I keep trying to foist my team onto someone else, as I may have mentioned several times, to no avail. Tweet is still the perfect candidate to be my official 2IC, but I can't steal her completely from Polo (and I think Arkle has dibs on her time as well). Therefore, I remain the main technical support for those I manage - and I even look after Puff because Arkle doesn't have a clue. C'est la vie. FO has decided that the only way he's going to get his project completed is if he leaves it in my hands and bribes me. He has also offered to take off my hands any distractions - not in any sense that might mean him doing the work, but in that I wouldn't have to worry about things. That worries me. Most of what I do is done because I am the only one who takes responsibility for them. No-one supports my team because the only ones who can are Polo's people, and they "don't have the time" - at least they don't have the planning that would allow for it.
The other chief thing I do, as conduit between the customer-focused people and the engineers is so critical, and yet so avoided by others that I can't trust anyone else to do it. No-one understands both camps like I do. This often leaves me the meat in the middle of a mind-game sandwich, but someone's got to be there.
Case in point. Doodles had a requirement, and he brought it to me as urgent, and I did all in my power to move it forward into engineering. He had done some work on his own (always a mistake) and thought he had the solution, and there would only be a five minute job to incorporate his changes. I told him that he hadn't solved the problem, or even come close, but it would take a week for an engineer to re-do his work, and then test it. Two weeks later (yes, there was a delay), we discovered in the field that I was right - the solution wasn't sufficient. The customer had not disclosed their environment to us in all cases, and Doodles now whined about having to go back on his word and ask for more time for a complete solution. It was, apparently, all Gabriel's fault, because he came to me and said that he wanted to avoid another situation where Doodles blamed Engeineering for taking too long to deliver something that didn't work, and another customer was going to be lost.
Putting things in perspective, the customer's threat (if real) was empty - no-one can do what we do. I know the competition. Secondly, Doodles making promises to customers that go against the advice of experts (such as myself) puts the onus back on him with regards failing customer relationships. Thirdly, for Doodles to complain about things not being delivered in a timely manner flies in the face of Polo's complaint that most of the requirements introduced by sales people never get used anyway, so why bother?
Thus, this little black duck being the Exxon Valdeez, pouring oil over troubled waters. Would FO do this for me? I don't think so. The man has the tact of a cave-man and the grace of a cross-eyed elephant on a lop-sided skateboard.
Is this a distraction? Company-sized.
Any suggestions? Usually, you see, it would be me coming up with the solution to such a problem. Now I'm not sure if I'm a part of it, or merely the cause of it.
To be filled with thoughts accessible wherever the net encompasses.
