Salt

legion · 02-14-2012, 06:54 PM

Oh man.

I have worked with a certain individual, let's call him Alex DeLarge, for about 11 years. When I first started on this project 11 years ago, I was 2 years out of college and a junior systems analyst. ADL had been with the company about 15 years and had recently joined our sister business department from the field.

ADL is one of those guys that always chases a "100%" solution. On average, a 70% solution costs X dollars. A 90% solution costs 2X dollars. A 95% solution costs 3X dollars. A 97% solution costs 4X dollars. A 98% solution costs 5X dollars. You get the point. I have frequently implemented solutions for this guy that cost 20 times what a 70% solution would cost. They usually end up going WAY over time and budget as he finds more gaps to fill, and the solutions get extremely complex to chase a fraction of a percent of what he considers better functionality. If someone actually analyzed them, they'd blow any reasonable ROI out of the water.

He also micro-manages. He doesn't tell me what he wants, he tells me how to do it. This also contributes to the over time/over budget/endless scope creep of his projects. He is notorious for sending dozens of people single, specific questions so that they can't piece together what he is getting at. The thing he doesn't realize, is that when he does it to my team, we all sit together, discuss what each of us has been asked, and figure out what he is really doing. Because of his secretive nature, he often leaves out HUGE requirements that he didn't recognize, which later become HUGE emergencies for the rest of us when he realizes stuff won't work. If he'd just let us (systems analysts) figure out how to best implement solutions, this would happen much less frequently.

He left for another department for a development opportunity after about 4 years. The guy who took his job quickly undid most of his decisions, as the programs simply didn't get used because they were too complex and time-consuming. People were using Excel, sticky notes, anything but what they were supposed to because they couldn't get their jobs done in a timely manner.

Well, he came back after two years, and was promoted to a project manager on the business side. This basically means that the only person who can say no to him is his boss, a VP, who happens to think he is the second coming. The projects have gotten bigger, more complex, more secretive, and more over cost and over schedule, with many more last minute emergencies.

Did I mention this guy is a huge bully? He's literally stormed out of meetings when he didn't get his way. When I was in training the summer before last (learning Java), he called my boss and screamed at her and demanded that I be taken out of training immediately to work on one of his emergencies. My boss told him no, my backup would do the work for him. He was fuming for months over that one. A couple of months ago, he typed up a huge manifesto on why his projects should be exempt from change management processes (and testing) so that they can get done faster. He sent it to me, my manager, and all of the directors in my area. It was ignored. From what I gather, the directors met and decided not to dignify it with a response.

I heard a rumor over the summer that his wife was pushing him to retire. I heard this rumor from a manager in my area, who was hoping desperately that it was true. The story goes that while he has been with the company for 25 years, his wife has put in 40 years, and she wants to travel.

I am currently working on an assignment for him that will take 5 months to develop and will live in production for six months before it is thrown away. He tried to get me to commit in December by having it done this week, but after not backing down from saying it was physically impossible, he finally went to my boss, and then my boss's boss before he ultimately relented. We've been working on it non-stop since December, and I hope to have requirements by the end of the month...

Today, I got an e-mail that he was being given much more responsibility as a "development opportunity". The writing on the wall is clear, he will probably be promoted to a VP soon.

I simply turned around at my desk, and loudly proclaimed to my cube-mates: "Well, I guess I better go get fitted for a saddle!"

I plan to make a hasty exit from my area as soon as possible. The problem is another mega-project just started up, and they have suspended all job posting for all corporate departments until that staffing shakeup settles out. My best hope is to be drafted by the mega-project, but I'm not on the right people's radar for that.

Dantilla · 02-14-2012, 07:23 PM

Bummer.

Sometimes I question the sanity of being self-employed. Then I'm reminded of what others have to put up with, and being self-employed doesn't look so bad anymore.

look 171 · 02-14-2012, 07:33 PM

Sometimes is worst. The grass is always greener on the other side but I would not trade it for the world. The freedom is simply priceless.

GWN7 · 02-14-2012, 08:27 PM

It could be worse....the guy likes you....imagine what life would be if he didn't.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by GWN7

It could be worse....the guy likes you....imagine what life would be if he didn't.

Good perspective there!

Jim Richards · 02-15-2012, 04:53 AM

Chris, why don't you go into management? Although management is not perfect, it's better than simply being a resource.

Rot 911 · 02-15-2012, 04:54 AM

On the bright side, sounds like with this guy you have job security.

944Larry · 944Larry's Garage

Sorry for you Chris. But this does prove the Peter Principle. In case you're not familiar it states "a person always rises to his greatest level of incompetency". I see it every day. Nobody will fire a person like this because it would make them look foolish for putting them there in the first place.

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

Ask him for a raise.

Zeke · 02-15-2012, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 944Larry

Sorry for you Chris. But this does prove the Peter Principle. In case you're not familiar it states "a person always rises to his greatest level of incompetency". I see it every day. Nobody will fire a person like this because it would make them look foolish for putting them there in the first place.

I don't know if that's the case because the guy who put him there is also incompetent at his job. He gets rid of the bozo under him and then has to deal with the real stuff and he can't.

Portrayed in "Dilbert" every week. The opposite of what you said>

944Larry · 944Larry's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeke

I don't know if that's the case because the guy who put him there is also incompetent at his job. He gets rid of the bozo under him and then has to deal with the real stuff and he can't.

Portrayed in "Dilbert" every week. The opposite of what you said>

Zeke-You got it Buddy!!! The guy above also rose to HIS greatest level of incompetence. Now guys, I didn't make all this up, I'm not that smart. I read a book some years ago called the "Peter Principle". I always wondered why it seemed as if the really qualified people that get the work done always seemed to stay at the bottom. That was the answer. They get the work done. I was told by a supervisor one time that he promoted a guy because he couldn't get the work done and had to have someone in the slot that could. Of course, firing someone is never an option for non-performance nowadays.

944Larry · 944Larry's Garage

Here it is, better than I can explain it.

Peter Principle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

eastbay · 02-15-2012, 03:01 PM

Buy the book and read it!

legion · 06-21-2012, 05:02 PM

Halle-f***ing-lujah!!!!

I just got OFFICIAL confirmation that ADL is retiring on September 1st. His wife won the battle! Oh, and my new boss rocks! He was out dropping off his Camaro to a speed shop in NJ to get methanol injection installed. Things are looking up!

Zeke · 06-21-2012, 05:19 PM

The fact that you can wait 2 months impresses me. Glad it worked like it did.

In my other post in this thread I mentioned "Dilbert." I'd have to be the character "Wally" if I had your job. Dilbert comics does not have a person like me in the strip because no one like me exists in your world. It's impossible.

legion · 06-21-2012, 05:28 PM

It is unlikely that ADL will launch any new emergency projects before he retires. Even if he does, I can stall long enough that they can be considered by sober eyes. It's not like I have to see him every day, I only have to deal with him when he calls me screaming.

That's funny, because in my intro meeting with my new boss, I had to explain my strong subversive streak (like how I'm trying to pit the Change process against the Problem process).

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Congrats!!

Zeke · 06-21-2012, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by legion

(like how I'm trying to pit the Change process against the Problem process).

Hey, that's Wally in a nut shell.

Jagshund · 06-22-2012, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by legion

Halle-f***ing-lujah!!!!

I just got OFFICIAL confirmation that ADL is retiring on September 1st. His wife won the battle! Oh, and my new boss rocks! He was out dropping off his Camaro to a speed shop in NJ to get methanol injection installed. Things are looking up!

Much, much better than if he was dropping his Prius off for an oil service.

Glad to hear the good news.

72doug2,2S · 72doug2,2S's Garage

Our CEO drives a Prius, there isn't anything he doesn't know.