If you're inclined, say a prayer for me today around noon CST.

[UberLutheran]

To paraphrase West Side Story: "There's going to be a rumble."

The system analyst where I work is a control freak if there ever was one. I'm sure you all have run into this kind of person: the person for whom there are two ways of doing things -- his way and his way.

To make a long story short: the computer image he created doing it his way (and excluding our input) has made our jobs much more difficult; and when my manager solicited feedback from us on our SharePoint site, I gave detailed feedback on how we were excluded from the development process and what the impact of the many problems on the image has meant to our group.

Put nicely: the system analyst went ballistic. Today, the manager who solicited the feedback, my manager, the system analyst and I are meeting at noon to try to work through some of these issues. I already have a flame-retardant suit (pictured below), but I really could use your prayers around noon. I fear there's gonna be a rumble...

http://my.execpc.com/%7Emcleanex/images/suit.gif

[SirTimothy]

I don't know when noon CST is, UberLutheran, but I will be praying for you, definitely. :crossrc:

Timothy

[julian the apostate]

bring your sense of humor with you
God bless

[Zacharias]

I'll be praying. :crossrc:

[Mic]

I don't know when noon CST is, UberLutheran, but I will be praying for you, definitely. :crossrc:

Timothy

If it helps, noon CST is 6 PM Greenwich time (if I'm not mistaken).

Luckily, I'm in CST, so I just have to remember noon!

Praying for sure.

[Zacharias]

If it helps, noon CST is 6 PM Greenwich time (if I'm not mistaken).

Luckily, I'm in CST, so I just have to remember noon!

Praying for sure.

I think that you're right.

P.S. I'm in CST also.

[SirTimothy]

If it helps, noon CST is 6 PM Greenwich time (if I'm not mistaken).

That helps a lot. I'll remember to pray then, if I'm free.

Timothy

[Iron Sun 254]

I'll be praying for you.

Here's a little free advice: Ask other people before the meeting about what they think could have been done better and bring them up in the meeting. He's going to try to prove that he could have done it better than you, but that's not what you're trying to show. You want to show that as a group all of you could have done better than he alone. In fact, you'll completely take the wind out of his sails if you include at least one decision he made which was correct (if there are any).

[pmcleanj]

I don't know when noon CST is, UberLutheran, but I will be praying for you, definitely. :crossrc:

Timothy
If I recall correctly from my days in the Canadian Forces Communications Command, it's 6p.m. GMT

[Wigglesworth]

Shalom. :crossrc:

[TomUK]

The second neighbours finishes i'll be praying!

[LADY DI]

I'll be praying for you too. :prayer:

[Iron Sun 254]

Okay...so what happened?

[bhirning]

I'm sorry that I may be to late but I will pray that you HAD a good meeting. Please let us know how it went. May God be with you.

[AveMaria]

I'm a bit late, too, didn't get a chance to get online earlier. Hope it went as smoothly as possible!

[UberLutheran]

Very, very, very intense meeting (which lasted for two hours).

The system analyst refused to make even so much as eye contact with me, and the manager of our division started going over all the suggestions I made (which filled two full sheets of paper using 7-point type).

I have to hand it to the division manager: he has negotiation skills par excellance! I ended up getting all but one of the changes I wanted; and with regards to the most important change I need (access to the installation CD collection, which I've asked the system analyst for eight times over the last year and is essential for me to be able to do my job) I now finally have access to the Lotus Notes database containing the serial numbers!

Who would believe one would have to perform the equivalent of root canal surgery just to get access to a list of 24-digit numbers???

With the one change I didn't get, I ended up with an acceptable compromise: individual standalone units in the design and editorial groups, using an older version of the OS so that the users can run legacy applications.

Part of the problem is that the way the system analyst and I approach the users is completely different: he's the "IT god" who dictates what you may and may not have; I take the approach that the user best knows what they need in order to do their job, and it's our duty to make sure they have what they need as long as the request is reasonable.

Anyway, after two very "interesting" (in the sense that do-it-yourself bariatric surgery with a butter knife, sewing thread, and Bactine would be considered "interesting") we got through all of the suggestion revisions, and then went to lunch.

OBTW: The system analyst and I were able to patch things up. (I don't think he wanted to be left alone supporting and developing software for 500 Macs!)

[RobNJ]

500 Macs!!!!!!
I Knew you were an individual of outstanding taste & quality!!!

[AveMaria]

Well, glad to hear the meeting went without any actual bloodshed. But. . . in the sense that do-it-yourself bariatric surgery with a butter knife, sewing thread, and Bactine would be considered "interesting"

??? :eek: Ouch!

[Iron Sun 254]

Well, glad to hear the meeting went without any actual bloodshed. But. . .

??? :eek: Ouch!

I'm gladder that you took the time to come back and post this.

[seebs]

Glad to hear it went so well.

[•Amadeus•]

Sorry I was late viewing this thread, or I would have prayed for you too, intensely. I know what it is like going up against "the beast" - or "Gotta have it my way IT person" ... ;)

Glad it went better than you thought. We should continue to pray that things go well, and the patching up with the systems analyst stays that way. :pray: