RE: Procedure names vs. production support

["Lim Hock-Chai" <Lim.Hock-Chai@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Below sounds like I did all the work to get it approved in our shop.  Well, I'm 
not that good yet :(.  Actually there was a developer name Michael Smith that 
first presented the idea and worked very hard to get it approved.  He is in 
this list also.  I just want to make sure I didn't get all the credit for that 
:).

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Lim Hock-Chai
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 9:02 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Procedure names vs. production support


We ran into the same situation here.

My experience tells me that nor matter what YOU said or what kind of tool YOU 
present to help identify the service program, it is not going to be good 
enough.  Because that basic argument that you are facing is this "when a 
program blew up in the middle of the night, I don't want the on-call programmer 
to have to go thru all kind of hoops to research the problem".

Notice I said what YOU say or do is not good enough.  From experience, this is 
what I'll do:
1) Send in a formal request to management team for what you try to achieve.  Be 
sure to attach a few articles that written by well known experts that describe 
the advantages of using service program.  (This seems to be the best way to get 
management team to accept that service program is  good.  After all, who dares 
to argue with the expert.) 

2) If management team agreed that service program is good.  The next obstacle 
is probably the question about other programmers might not be able to support 
it.  In that case, request to have an expert on site to train other programmers 
on service program and other new programming techniques.  (We have Jon Paris 
and Susan done the training on site for us.  They were great. :)).

3) Buy a bottle of aspirin and take some when necessary.


Now, only if we can get Scott to present an article about the service program 
naming convention in the NEWS/400, ...


Good luck.