RE: Software Vendors(last minute changes and bug free software)

[Joel Fritz <JFritz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Couple of years ago I was getting ready to install a system used to estimate
what we needed to buy to support projected sales.  It was the result of
about six months of work and we had been careful to get end user approval of
all of the features.  The main program displays sales and inventory (actual
historical, and future projected) among other things.  At the 11th hour new
management decided that the best way to view inventory for a given month was
inventory at end of month.  The system had been written to display beginning
of month inventory.  

In order to meet the deadline, I spent the next couple of days installing a
vile kludge that I'm still ashamed of all the while chanting "Next month's
beginning of month is this month's end of month."  Next the end users
decided that the agreed upon method of entering projected sales was the
exact opposite of what they really wanted.  "Vile kludge" is too nice to
describe what I did to support that.  

Of course, it's been bug free for nearly two years now. <g>  (It does work
and is used daily.  The end users still speak to me.)  Somehow, I don't
think I'm the only one who's had this sort of experience.

   
-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Lewis [mailto:clewis@iquest.net]
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 1999 4:29 AM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Re: Software Vendors


David, 
That's what we used to call the "Oh, by the way..." occurrence. You would
program EXACTLY to the users speck, constantly involve them in the process
from START to FINISH, testing, etc. When everyone would agree that it was
what they wanted, we'd get the "Oh, by the way..." that could TOTALLY change
everything that had just been done <BG> !! Of course all the folks that did
that are no longer with us :-) JUST KIDDING !!! 
Chuck 
David Gibbs wrote: 
  
> But it was suppose to display a screen.... :) 
> > > I humbly submit the following 100% bug free program... 
> > > 
> > > C                      EVAL     *INLR = *ON 
> > > C                      RETURN 
Sorry, you didn't specify that in the requirements document. 
If you would like to submit an enhancement request, I'll be happy to provide
an estimate. 
LOL! 
david
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