A rant for Monday morning
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So the other week I redesigned an ASP.net page to new customer specifications. Simple info submission page really. But now it needs to have all the bells and whistles. Mobile friendly, placeholders, tool tips, allow file uploads, give how many available characters remain in each field, etc. This doesn't sound bad but the page is in an old site using a mix of classic ASP and ASP.Net. Old versions of AJAX, master pages with update panels within update panels that contain the page which has another update panel and so on. Real rat's nest of code that needs to be cleaned and updated. I'm not allowed to clean it because someone else is supposed to be doing that (for the past few years, zero progress, beside the point). Initial release, I forgot to do a check to make sure people had JavaScript enabled and some minor errors occur happen. My mistake, fixed within an hour and have it check to make sure they have JavaScript, and if not don't let them use the form and tell them that they need JS enabled. This weekend someone tries to use it. They don't have JavaScript enabled and can't figure out how to turn it on. So per customer instructions, they can't submit. Customer is unhappy. Now I get to spend my morning trying to tell them that either the page can have all the fancy new features OR functionality that works for everyone including those not using current technology. This isn't a customer I can go to and tell them they get one or the other. :sigh:
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So the other week I redesigned an ASP.net page to new customer specifications. Simple info submission page really. But now it needs to have all the bells and whistles. Mobile friendly, placeholders, tool tips, allow file uploads, give how many available characters remain in each field, etc. This doesn't sound bad but the page is in an old site using a mix of classic ASP and ASP.Net. Old versions of AJAX, master pages with update panels within update panels that contain the page which has another update panel and so on. Real rat's nest of code that needs to be cleaned and updated. I'm not allowed to clean it because someone else is supposed to be doing that (for the past few years, zero progress, beside the point). Initial release, I forgot to do a check to make sure people had JavaScript enabled and some minor errors occur happen. My mistake, fixed within an hour and have it check to make sure they have JavaScript, and if not don't let them use the form and tell them that they need JS enabled. This weekend someone tries to use it. They don't have JavaScript enabled and can't figure out how to turn it on. So per customer instructions, they can't submit. Customer is unhappy. Now I get to spend my morning trying to tell them that either the page can have all the fancy new features OR functionality that works for everyone including those not using current technology. This isn't a customer I can go to and tell them they get one or the other. :sigh:
RJOberg wrote:
This isn't a customer I can go to and tell them they get one or the other. :sigh:
The alternative is harder; change the technology to make it possible. I suggest you give the customer the choice, that is what he/she is paying for.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
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So the other week I redesigned an ASP.net page to new customer specifications. Simple info submission page really. But now it needs to have all the bells and whistles. Mobile friendly, placeholders, tool tips, allow file uploads, give how many available characters remain in each field, etc. This doesn't sound bad but the page is in an old site using a mix of classic ASP and ASP.Net. Old versions of AJAX, master pages with update panels within update panels that contain the page which has another update panel and so on. Real rat's nest of code that needs to be cleaned and updated. I'm not allowed to clean it because someone else is supposed to be doing that (for the past few years, zero progress, beside the point). Initial release, I forgot to do a check to make sure people had JavaScript enabled and some minor errors occur happen. My mistake, fixed within an hour and have it check to make sure they have JavaScript, and if not don't let them use the form and tell them that they need JS enabled. This weekend someone tries to use it. They don't have JavaScript enabled and can't figure out how to turn it on. So per customer instructions, they can't submit. Customer is unhappy. Now I get to spend my morning trying to tell them that either the page can have all the fancy new features OR functionality that works for everyone including those not using current technology. This isn't a customer I can go to and tell them they get one or the other. :sigh:
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So the other week I redesigned an ASP.net page to new customer specifications. Simple info submission page really. But now it needs to have all the bells and whistles. Mobile friendly, placeholders, tool tips, allow file uploads, give how many available characters remain in each field, etc. This doesn't sound bad but the page is in an old site using a mix of classic ASP and ASP.Net. Old versions of AJAX, master pages with update panels within update panels that contain the page which has another update panel and so on. Real rat's nest of code that needs to be cleaned and updated. I'm not allowed to clean it because someone else is supposed to be doing that (for the past few years, zero progress, beside the point). Initial release, I forgot to do a check to make sure people had JavaScript enabled and some minor errors occur happen. My mistake, fixed within an hour and have it check to make sure they have JavaScript, and if not don't let them use the form and tell them that they need JS enabled. This weekend someone tries to use it. They don't have JavaScript enabled and can't figure out how to turn it on. So per customer instructions, they can't submit. Customer is unhappy. Now I get to spend my morning trying to tell them that either the page can have all the fancy new features OR functionality that works for everyone including those not using current technology. This isn't a customer I can go to and tell them they get one or the other. :sigh:
Why isn't your project manager handling this? If you are the developer, you should not be dealing with the client directly, I would think. :confused: Edit: whenever I hear the term "redesigned", I run for the hills, screaming in fear.This sounds like a project that more than one person should be working on, and a clear and present design doc should be drafted up for it, prior to development. Has any thought been given to future scenarios. This is something that should have been discussed in week one business requirements gathering with the client and your business team. :sigh: Do you have a business team, project manager, Software Services Director, ....? -- good luck.
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Why isn't your project manager handling this? If you are the developer, you should not be dealing with the client directly, I would think. :confused: Edit: whenever I hear the term "redesigned", I run for the hills, screaming in fear.This sounds like a project that more than one person should be working on, and a clear and present design doc should be drafted up for it, prior to development. Has any thought been given to future scenarios. This is something that should have been discussed in week one business requirements gathering with the client and your business team. :sigh: Do you have a business team, project manager, Software Services Director, ....? -- good luck.
For this project I am the BA, PM, and Dev all at once. Normally that isn't a problem since I do all three individually for various projects. It is when you lump them all together that it gets a bit more frustrating. Plus this client is unique in their demands. This is a project that more than one person should be working on, a brand new replacement system is being designed. Really the work that I'm doing is a temporary stop gap to keep them happy. I'm curious why a content management system for a pretty straightforward site is taking more than three years to do.
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Could you provide them an option; how about a link at the bottom to the old form, the one not requiring JavaScript? You know, a 'click this button if you're computer illiterate' sort of thing?
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For this project I am the BA, PM, and Dev all at once. Normally that isn't a problem since I do all three individually for various projects. It is when you lump them all together that it gets a bit more frustrating. Plus this client is unique in their demands. This is a project that more than one person should be working on, a brand new replacement system is being designed. Really the work that I'm doing is a temporary stop gap to keep them happy. I'm curious why a content management system for a pretty straightforward site is taking more than three years to do.
RJOberg wrote:
is taking more than three years to do
IMHO, few projects should take a year to do, let alone 3. I think you are in the right, to be curious here. :thumbsup: Unless, you have a 3-5 year contract with scheduled implementation roll outs, i.e. Agile environment.