Certifications, standards or just codswallop?

March 23, 2009 By

Recently, I attended a 1 day course on Information Technology Infrastructure Library or ITIL. It’s just an awareness course, so I only learned what it is, what it’s used for, why it should be used and so on. Basically ITIL is a set of best practices for doing IT work.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to attend the course. Due to management targets and budget considerations, I was “strongly encouraged” to attend the course (it is the end of the financial year…). Ah well, so I did. Man, did I have to rearrange my coding deadlines… One never knows how much 1 day of coding means, till one loses that 1 day…

Anyway, I learnt what ITIL is, and what the associated ISO 20000 is too. ITIL, as my instructor mentioned, is “documented common sense“. Also, an organisation (or process) can’t be certified in ITIL, as there might be some recommendations that conflict with each other within your business scope. An individual can be ITIL certified though.

Businesses can be ISO 20000 certified. The process of certification, as I understand it, is tedious. You need documentation of processes, and you need proof that you’ve been following the standards and your own documentation. And the first thought that came to my mind was Evidence Based Scheduling and FogBugz. I talked with the instructor and he agreed that, having a system that’s part of the workflow, and that it captures proof as it goes, is the best solution. And you need at least 3 months worth of proof.

I can see 2 benefits to certification. Boost in credibility (people trust companies with certifications?) and actual improvements in financial bottom lines (whether it’s cost savings or profit).

Frankly speaking, I don’t know why I’m attending the course. That I’ll push for a more structured IT environment back at work, following ITIL recommendations? That I can be part of the certification process team? I’m a messy person. What do they think I can do?

Ok, the course wasn’t a complete loss for me. At least I learnt about the certification process. Still, I keep wondering, could the entire thing be condensed into the Joel Test?

At the team I’m working at, we’d maybe pass 3 out of the 12 points on the check list. If we can’t pass that, we can’t pass ITIL, and we certainly can’t pass ISO 20000. I’m just saying…

[Vincent is currently preparing to go to the land of the rising sun, and hopefully see sakura blossoms. Comments and responses will be slower. I'll be taking over for a while, and remember, I'm just a blog.]

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Every user query is a puzzle

February 27, 2009 By

The user didn’t really mean to give you a level 5 puzzle to solve. But that’s what it is. Every time the user asks you to help him solve a software related problem, he’s giving you a puzzle.

Sometimes, it’s a level 1 puzzle, where you don’t even need to fire up your code editor to glance through the code to answer, or give more than a few seconds to think through. Sometimes, you have to really push for lots of hints, like clarifying the user’s query, ask for screenshots (even if sometimes they aren’t enough…), and dig through code archives.

I got a level 1.5-ish puzzle lately… The user said he couldn’t use the delete button. I fired up the application, selected a record, and indeed the delete button was disabled. On a whim, I double-clicked. The details of the selected record came up, and the delete button was enabled.

I have never seen or used that particular section of the application before. The user on the other hand, was supposed to be familiar with the application. Perhaps I’m more willing to try out typing randomly or aimlessly clicking the mouse on an application screen. I certainly typed enough asdf’s…

So, have you encountered any high level puzzles? Share in the comments.

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Brain dead

February 9, 2009 By

I can’t think. I can’t focus. My thoughts are scattered, flying around of their own volition, out of my reach, out of my control.

I believe this is what people call “burnt out”.

For the past couple of months, I’ve been coding for, or working on, a few projects. I was either the sole developer, or a major contributor to the project. Their deadlines had been either back-to-back or overlapping. And this unhealthy schedule stays for the next couple of months.

I may be a Polymer, but I am only one.

There had been a few instances in the past where projects bunch up together. It was tough, but I weathered through. This time, it took its toll on me. I’ve never been out of the Zone for so long.

All my usual remedies failed. Reading. Hanging out with friends. Listening to upbeat music while working (but I already do that on a regular basis). Tea. Playing video games. Exercise. Coffee (mocha. I can’t withstand the strength of “normal” coffee…). Going for walks.

I was about to attempt unfettered hedonistic pleasures when I remembered I could take a break. Ok, it was more like “Take a day off!”, “Stop working!” and “Fight for Freedom!”. Ok, maybe not the last one…

I heeded those subtle hints, and took a day off here, a day off there. The Chinese New Year, which was just over, lengthened a weekend. So many people were taking days off too. Hint: don’t take the same days off as the other people if you can help it. Take those days when they’re back in office. This way, you get more done because you don’t get interrupted.

Stop interrupting me!

This episode was seriously difficult to recover from.

It came back, surprising me with its arrival. My coding groove. There were no announcements, no hints. One day I was down in the slumps, the next I was able to think cogently for a few hours straight. That gave me enough time to sift through the requirements, because much of programming isn’t really writing the code. It’s thinking.

I’m still feeling terrible, but at least I’m able to get the projects moving faster now. All the tricks for getting my energy back failed abysmally. In the end, my mind and body provided the best solution.

It was time. I just needed to rest. Sometimes, the fastest way is to stop.

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Random Quote – Program X not social networking site

October 29, 2008 By

Today, my users got into a tangle. All of them got into a database deadlock.

Now my users have this habit of opening multiple windows so as to “appear busy”. Granted, my application wasn’t designed and programmed with many concurrent users in mind. Still, if more than 2 of them happen to access the same table, or heaven forbid, performing an update or delete operation on that table, the database throws up its hands in defeat and promptly denies further access. This includes other users accessing other tables.

So I did an sp_who (it’s a Sybase database) and found out the perpetrators. Then I wrote an email telling those who were doing non-critical tasks (and not still performing database transactions) to get the heck out of my database and log out of the application. And not return until half an hour later. Nicely coached in diplomatic language of course.

One of them asked if another colleague could continue, since that person was still performing a transaction. I said “Of course.” I also added something in the email that I thought was interesting (on hindsight):

Program X is not a social networking site. Log in, do your thing and log out.

Yes, I was a bit peeved and slightly mischievous at the time.

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A typical month work load

October 27, 2008 By

Climber by Bettina Ritter
[image by Bettina Ritter]

I don’t really have a typical work day. It doesn’t mean I have an exciting job. It just means I can’t tell you what I’ll be doing the next day, because I don’t know for sure what I’ll be doing. What I can tell you is what I do in a typical month, generally speaking. There’s a point to all this, and I’ll start with…

From 8:30 am till 6 pm

Those are my work hours. Except Friday. On Fridays, I get to go off at 5:30 pm. My current job title is IT Analyst, changed from Systems Analyst. And if you think that’s vague, you’re right. My job scope is quite varied. Basically, my contractual terms require me to “do whatever the boss tells you to do”.

The current company I’m working for isn’t a software company. I just work in the IT department. What it means is, programming isn’t as highly regarded as I want, as what I read about in those programming blogs and sites. It kinda sucks, but it keeps me fed.

Let me tell you about the tools I use at work. I’m the “online guy”, which means any user interface related development comes to me. I use Visual Studio 2003 (C# and VB.NET) for all the web applications, console programs and a few software tools I create to help me. I also use Visual Studio 2005 for one particular application, with a graphical user interface. It’s too tedious to explain why I use both versions. It’s enough to know that I do.

I also use PowerBuilder for some Windows applications. It’s really, really painful to work with PowerBuilder code. I tell myself it’s the previous programmer’s skill that’s to blame, not the language, but I frequently fail. Tracing and debugging PowerBuilder code takes a lot of work for me. I really hate PowerBuilder… I think this calls for a separate rant article.

I’ve been asked to investigate C and C++ code on Unix machines too. So yes, I understand make files, shell scripts and cron jobs. I even know how to use the vi editor! I used to telnet to the Unix machines with TerraTerm, which is now abandoned for a more secure client application. Can’t remember the name because I rarely use it, because I rarely need to telnet.

Database admin, server admin and LAN admin

Despite the fact that I’m completely ignorant of SQL and databases in my formal education, I’m thrust full force into it at work. I’ve worked with the Oracle, SQL Server and Sybase databases, know most of the nuances between them on SQL syntax, and understand how to use stored procedures. I handle them all.

I am also completely in charge of a few Windows servers and the SQL Server databases running on them. Server maintenance, backup schedule and tapes, security patches, SSL certificates, IIS configuration, server performance.

Then I’ve got to know about the opening of ports for security purposes, who to notify when there are application or server changes. I need to know ping and tracert and ipconfig and other network related stuff.

All of that maintenance and administration is on top of my development work.

I don’t need to connect to Oracle databases now, but I used to do so with TOAD. There’s a limit to the number of licenses, so I wrote my own database connector program. It only does retrieval of data, basically the select statement, but it’s enough for current tasks. The Oracle databases belong to another team, and they’ve only needed me to help out rarely.

I use the Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer for the SQL Servers. They’re great tools, and they come with the database installation, which is cool. There’s also another tool that has saved me many times. It’s the DTS, Data Transformation Services. I’ve used it to transfer data interchangeably between Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase and get this, Excel. Users take to Excel much better, so I need to use their form of “database”.

Designers, comparers and reflectors

I’m also a web designer. I suck at it, but I’ve been lucky enough to muddle through, and my users and their customers think my user interface looks awesome. I use Paint.NET (and sometimes the inbuilt Windows Paint program) for my image editing tasks. Plus I’ve got some colour tricks up my sleeve.

Some time ago, I had to verify some old code by another programmer. He can’t remember what he changed, and I obviously don’t know what could possibly be changed. I needed help! Fortunately, I found CSDiff. It allows you to compare two files (or even folders) and lists down differences between them. Much better than checking line after line of code by inspection.

And if you do .NET work, you must get the Reflector by Lutz Roeder, which had been taken over by Red Gate Software. It allows you to get back code from compiled .NET DLLs and programs. The result might not be the prettiest code, but with sufficient talent and patience, you can get something out of it.

I’ve used it on my own code and other team members’ code to check for disparity. Sometimes, you forget which version you’ve compiled that code into… Sometimes, it’s for self study, to understand what others have done.

The phone calls. Oh the phone calls.

My phone rings a lot. There are over 10 people in my immediate vicinity. I can tell you that, if you add up all the phone calls all of them ever receive in a month, it would still be less than what I alone receive in that same month.

Remember I told you I’m the “online guy”? That means a lot of users know me, and I don’t know all of them. Since they usually interact with the application interface, any problem is routed to me. Whether it’s data inconsistency, business logic query, application error or failure, all of them come to me. I’m a one-man helpdesk I tell ya.

It was so bad that sometimes, I’ve had to solve and handle user queries for entire days on end. Due to the nature of my work, the start and end of the month are particularly busy for my team. The number of times my phone rings goes through the roof. Maintaining decent phone etiquette starts to be a strain…

Wait, there’s something missing…

Where’s the source control software I’m supposed to be using? Well, I’m the source control. My team is very small in size. Company directives dictate we send work to our offshore colleagues. I think those (typically recent graduate) colleagues have some problems of their own, let alone set up a source control system that works across geographic boundaries.

I’ve not been with development teams at other IT departments, but I think we would totally fail at the Joel Test. Totally.

Despite these circumstances, I still manage to do development work, sometimes with surprising and outstanding results. I believe good task management is crucial to my balancing act. Which brings me to…

Holistic approach to programming

If you’re working at a software company, or on something focused on software and programming, I envy you. I really do. You’d probably get to talk with other programmers on interesting topics. Your work is really appreciated, because it goes to the bottom line.

I might not be programming exclusively, but I get to see the bigger picture. I get to liaise with people from sales, marketing and customer service. I get to talk with upper management and even the actual customers. I get to see the kinds of products and services offered, and how it’s implemented and supported by software.

Programming is kind of … an elite thing. When I was studying C programming in university, I was surprised that many of my fellow students struggled with it. I took to it like a fish in water. After a while, I realised that most people cannot grasp the thinking required in programming, even if they opted to study it themselves.

So I’m going to state this. Many people are not going to understand how great that piece of code you’ve written. Many people think software can make their lives easier, but fail to realise that not everyone can write good software.

This is where all your other skills come in. You have to sell what you’re doing to other people. Convince them that it’s useful, that it’s awesome, that it’s relevant, that what you do and what you propose is important.

Sell your ideas. Market your ideas. Your software is more useful if you see it from a bigger-picture point of view, from other people’s point of view. That requires you to understand other concepts. Concepts that aren’t related to programming at all. And you synthesise them together to make your code better.

And that, is my point.

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