Sunday, April 1, 2012

As Soon As Possible

I can't freakin stand being told that something is required ASAP.

Let's revisit my job description here. What's the IT guy supposed to do? He's (or she's) supposed to take care of the techological aspects of whatever your job requires. He's the support guy. You need something from the support department, it's their job to get it done. They are well aware of what you need, and how important it is.

Most of the time, the tech support staff is BETTER aware of how much you need a particular piece of technology than you are.

And quite frankly, isn't whenever you get something as soon as it was possible? If I sit on a project for a couple extra days, you still get it as soon as it's possible, because while I'm sitting on it, surfing facebook, it's impossible for it to get done, because I'm not doing it! So yeah, you'll get it as soon as possible. Don't tell me ASAP like that's supposed to light some fire under my ass. All it's going to do is make me want to find reasons that it wasn't possible to get it done sooner.

And by the way, who the hell thinks it's a good idea to light fires under asses anyway? That's just mean. Sure isn't going to make me want to help you, that's for sure. You just remember that.

20 comments:

  1. Wonderful start to the challenge, in total agreement in what you say.

    Good luck with the challenge.
    Yvonne,

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  2. Unfortunately, when I'm talking with my IT guys at work (or any other support folks), I've already been trying to swim the "correct" channels to get things done, and they aren't getting done. So I circumvent the "correct" channels and head right to the source, and I therefore usually need things done a few weeks ago...at the latest. I'm not sure why, exactly, they hate talking to me...

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  3. Unfortunately when I'm dealing with our IT department (who are under-staffed and under-budgeted) I'm forced to take the backorder approach. If you come to expect constant disappointment, then you order more than you really need. So if I need something today...my request date is always last week! :)

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  4. There's a few good points here, in a world where the IT department isn't understaffed, then proper channels should be followed... However, when the staff is either too few, or too stupid (and that DOES happen), to get things done, you'll need to know who to go to.

    Corporations seem to put the dumbest, greenest folks on helpdesk as their first line of defense, which makes sense in that most of the calls that come in are something simple. However, when something big comes in, they'll typically smash their faces into it until it's worse than before, and then pass it on to tier two, after charging an hour.

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  5. To be fair though... my frustration with "ASAP" is that I KNOW things have to be done as soon as possible.

    That's like someone saying "You should fill your gas tank. Cause if you don't, you'll run out, and your car will stop. And then you won't be able to drive it. And then you'll be late. And then you'll have to walk to the gas station."

    It's my JOB to get these things done... if you've got a broken computer, not only are they paying you to sit there and wait for me, but you're not being productive, costing MORE money, yet people always assume we don't understand that.

    I guess unfortunately, that may be true sometimes.

    I KNOW!

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  6. I love it, guys. I see in a previous post you say 'Read the manual, moron!' or words to that effect. Whoops! Not my strong point. I'm more likely to push all the buttons first and then go to the manual in desperation.

    By the way, in the UK just now, it's not a good idea to tell people to go out and fill their gas tanks. I can't work out from this blog which side of the pond you guys are on. I'm "over here", but if you're "over there", I'd say, "Fill your gas tank? Are you serious?" Ha! Ha! (Check the media reports for the last week).

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    1. Hi Fiona! I'm in NEW England, and honestly I can't complain (although I do almost constantly) about the cost of gas. It's getting close to $4 / gallon... $4 per gallon which works out to about 2.5 pounds per 3.8 liters. which... I have no idea what you pay now, but I think it's a lot more than that...

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  7. Great posting. While I am not an IT person I have worked at a job where ASAP makes me want to scream and often the person putting out that distress could do the work themself if they would just move out from behind a desk. There are a few that call out the ASAP signal to shuffle the work to others because they are too danged lazy. :)

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    1. I actually would rather be told ASAP than have my users try to do it themselves... Of course, these days I'm a consultant, so when they try things themselves and bunk it all up, it means I get paid more, cause I'm there longer...

      Still though, I'm more apt to try to save them money than charge them for trying to save it themselves.

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  8. I am not an IT person either, but I rely on ASAP a lot, as I can only do my job if the other person does their job and I hate being in the middle at times and made look like an idiot because someone is not doing their job.

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    1. The shame is that some people actually NEED to be told ASAP... Frankly, when I do it, it will be as soon as possible, because if I do something else first, it's because it was a priority, making your project not possible at the moment.

      But yes, nobody should be made to look like an idiot. That's not what we get paid for, and I hate when people make others look bad. So unprofessional.

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  9. Ah yes, ASAP, one of the most unhelpful responses when you need to know when something will be done. Great start to the challenge. Good luck with the rest of your posts :)

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    1. Thanks! ...and thanks, I'm going to need it. I've got other blogs in this challenge too, but fortunately, I've got lots of the posts for them done already. This one I'm doing daily.

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  10. Lol love this. *New Follower now* Thanks for the laugh I needed it. Hope to see more of your A-Z challenges. Mine is about video games ^.^

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    1. I'm going to try to keep most of them short, like an IT related fortune cookie, only slightly longer...

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. There's only one situation where anyone should ever light a fire under your ass: You're stuck out on the frozen tundra of some godforsaken place in subzero temperatures with nary a scrap of food, and then your mule dies. That's it.

    As soon as possible? Hell. The possibilities are endless.

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  12. Oh dont be grumpy ASAP

    here is my GAC a-z to make you calm down ;)

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  13. Glad I found you GIT guy - some of the other a to z blogs are dire!

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  14. Some of the more difficult people think ASAP means "half an hour ago." Been there, believe me.

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