Panic
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
Turn off the beeper :-) Matthew Hazlett Windows 2000/2003 MCSE Never got an MCSD, go figure...
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE !!! ;) -------- "I say no to drugs, but they don't listen." - Marilyn Manson
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
About 2 years ago, I signed on at local company as a lone programmer. My duties were to take over the Quizbowl automation software (which was about 75% finished). Getting started was a little slow because I didn't have much MFC experience but I learned quickly (so quickly that the boss was impressed). About September we released the software, and I wasn't at all nervous. Little did I know that the software would have so many problems (mostly of which were in code that I had never touched or in hardware). The next six months was the longest, most stressful time in my entire life. I'll never make the mistake of being complacent about a software release again. Brad Jennings Sonork: 100.36360 AIM: hongg99
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
johnbowmanjr wrote: What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? I get nervous everytime I release a software product. (Even more so, if I'm not the person doing the install on-site). In the run up, I keep testing away trying to spot that imagined thing that I missed. You'd think after 16 years of doing this, I'd be used to it ;-) I find the worst time, is the time after install, when you haven't heard from your users; no feedback or problems reported. I just can't believe that everything works smoothly first-time. Michael But you know when the truth is told, That you can get what you want or you can just get old, Your're going to kick off before you even get halfway through. When will you realise... Vienna waits for you? - "The Stranger," Billy Joel
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
While it's true that any problems encountered may be attributable to either the requirements or the tester, the fact is that any issues that can't be worked around will become *your* immediate problems (unless you are in that most fanciful place - a company with an overstocked, well-trained pool of developers who all share common product knowledge). In my experience, the actual reason(s) why something doesn't work as planned/envisioned/designed are academic. When a product goes live and the customer/consumer does not see what they expect to see, whether they actually specified they wanted to see it or not (we're supposed to be omniscient, after all), it becomes the programmers' problem fault notwithstanding. That is one of the reasons deployments are stressful. I think the previous posters did a pretty good job of covering the bases (stay away from the phone, drink if it helps etc.). That said, unless an endless string of new jobs is on the horizon - one for each go-live date - I would recommend settling in for a period of punishment shortly following any important release. If there is none, pat yourself on the back and go back to work. If, however, there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth on "GA Day", you'll at least be marginally prepared. No design ever survives first contact with a user.
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About 2 years ago, I signed on at local company as a lone programmer. My duties were to take over the Quizbowl automation software (which was about 75% finished). Getting started was a little slow because I didn't have much MFC experience but I learned quickly (so quickly that the boss was impressed). About September we released the software, and I wasn't at all nervous. Little did I know that the software would have so many problems (mostly of which were in code that I had never touched or in hardware). The next six months was the longest, most stressful time in my entire life. I'll never make the mistake of being complacent about a software release again. Brad Jennings Sonork: 100.36360 AIM: hongg99
Brad Jennings wrote: The next six months was the longest, most stressful time in my entire life. Somehow I dont think this will ease his anxiety!:doh: Brad Jennings wrote: I'll never make the mistake of being complacent about a software release again True. However, LAUREN's solution of the ostrich technique works wonders.:-D
I Dream of Absolute Zero
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I find myself in what I believe to be an unusual situation. Due to a strange confluence of events (companies closing (2), voluntary job switches(2)) I haven't had a project go into production since either '97 or '98. Well all of that is about to change within the next couple of days. I have a very large project going into production and seem to be panicing about it. I always got a little nervous before something went live, but this is full fledged unadulterated panic. I know that I didn't make any mistakes;) and that anything that goes wrong will be a problem with the requirements document (of which there is none) or the tester (who spent an entire hour on it) or of course the end user (who was never involved in the development). What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Happiness is knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bullet with your name on it.
johnbowmanjr wrote: What I was wondering is do you folks get nervous before an implementation and what do you do to deal with it? Leave early on Friday, spend a long, drunken weekend and sleep a lot. Do nothing productive. Go in Monday and turn on the new project (Go Live) and go 90 to Nothing for the first week. Problems will last a lot longer, but if I can make it through that first week of DISASTERS, the rest is usually bearable and even shores up the old confidence and pride after it starts to deflect user stupidity :)