The battle for automation or IT specialist versus common sense
I am a scandal, my nerves are on the limit and I would like to share this issue with the inhabitants of Habr with whom to share.
So, first things first. I work in a small web studio in a small town. The problem of small cities, and especially small web studios can be discussed for a very long time, but this is not what I’m talking about, I perceive these drawbacks more or less loyally. It will be a relatively large trading network. No, we didn’t make them a website, as you might think. As I said, I work in a small web-studio, and one of our many problems is that we (or rather the director) take on everything related to computers and where you can earn.
I do not want to delve into the details I ask to the paragraph "So what's the problem?"
Gender came up with the idea to create a discount system, which is in many cities. One card - a lot of discounts in dozens of outlets and institutions of the city. The idea of ​​a principle is not bad, they took up implementation. Sketched the design of the card, phoned partners, offered to participate, approved the bar code and magnetic stripe code. It remains to find the money for the first batch of 1000 pcs. I will not go into details, it turned out that one trading network (food products) agreed to become a partner of special conditions and give us money for the first batch. Here was the first mistake - we lost our independence, but this became clear only after the system started working.
The base of clients (cardholders) is located on our server on the Internet, a web interface is written for easy management. The scheme for receiving the card is as follows: the client either registers on the site and comes for the card, or immediately comes to the office, dictates the necessary data (name, phone number, e-mail, area of ​​residence and date of birth) and receives the card. Everything is very simple. Life seemed beautiful. But our esteemed trading network wanted to have a copy of the database.
')
The problem is that the IT people of that trading network (the girl is the “IT director”, and the boy who crimps the twisted pair and reloads the workplaces) refuses to automate the process of synchronizing the databases. Moreover, they told me what happened when she was told that she needed to implement this discount system. Literally Natalya (the so-called “director's name”), quote: “I dragged marketers to x * s,” telling them that they were completely morons and agreed to this and refused to do anything. I was shocked. But the call of the director of the network somewhat cooled the fervor of the emotional atishnitsa and some progress began, something worked, but how ...
As-as, through the ass, excuse me for being rude. Attempts at negotiations did not lead to success, at first they even talked to me, now they don’t even respond to email and ICQ. My director throws up his hands and says that we have no way out - we have an agreement on special conditions and we cannot refuse them. As a result, at least 10 (!!!) people are involved in database synchronization! For my part, I generate an Exel file with the cards issued today, send it by mail to the girl Alyona (I do not know the position, everything happens automatically automatically). But as the file came the fun begins. Girl Alyona sends it to administrators of ALL stores, where then these data are MANUALLY entered into the database. Moreover, the “IT Director” requests that each batch of cards be submitted for use in an orderly manner. What for me, excuse me if you know the starting and ending map and barcode mask? What for MANUALLY to bring each card, if they anyway get into the database, as soon as the client receives the card? Where does it make sense to keep such an employee?
A bunch of hemorrhoids. You probably thought - “But if you don’t care, it’s not your resources that you spend.” Yes, that's wrong. It is human nature to make mistakes, and with such a hierarchy, a lot of mistakes! Dissatisfied customers complaining that their cards are not working anymore in some stores. The girl Alena, increasingly calls and asks to send a copy for the day before yesterday, because someone deleted and she did not have time to send. I climb into the base and manually pull out what to do.
After all the torments with the distribution network, a large network of pharmacies called us and wanted to become a partner. A programmer came from another city (attention, not local, living in another city and serving another pile of organizations like this network of pharmacies), we discussed the format of unloading over a cup of morning coffee, found a compromise version. The day was spent on writing modules, another day for start-up work. Everything worked, shook hands and he left. Everything, for a month from them not a single call, not a single customer complaint! Everything works and everything took 2 working days. And the respected grocery network continues to call once or twice a week.
I hope not a lot of snot spilled :) I now can not understand why we have this distribution network does not add up? Personal animosity? Banal laziness? Or the incompetence of the staff?
UPD. Transferred to "Idiots on the wire", thanks for the karma.
So, first things first. I work in a small web studio in a small town. The problem of small cities, and especially small web studios can be discussed for a very long time, but this is not what I’m talking about, I perceive these drawbacks more or less loyally. It will be a relatively large trading network. No, we didn’t make them a website, as you might think. As I said, I work in a small web-studio, and one of our many problems is that we (or rather the director) take on everything related to computers and where you can earn.
Closer to the topic
I do not want to delve into the details I ask to the paragraph "So what's the problem?"
Gender came up with the idea to create a discount system, which is in many cities. One card - a lot of discounts in dozens of outlets and institutions of the city. The idea of ​​a principle is not bad, they took up implementation. Sketched the design of the card, phoned partners, offered to participate, approved the bar code and magnetic stripe code. It remains to find the money for the first batch of 1000 pcs. I will not go into details, it turned out that one trading network (food products) agreed to become a partner of special conditions and give us money for the first batch. Here was the first mistake - we lost our independence, but this became clear only after the system started working.
Little about implementation
The base of clients (cardholders) is located on our server on the Internet, a web interface is written for easy management. The scheme for receiving the card is as follows: the client either registers on the site and comes for the card, or immediately comes to the office, dictates the necessary data (name, phone number, e-mail, area of ​​residence and date of birth) and receives the card. Everything is very simple. Life seemed beautiful. But our esteemed trading network wanted to have a copy of the database.
')
So what's the problem?
The problem is that the IT people of that trading network (the girl is the “IT director”, and the boy who crimps the twisted pair and reloads the workplaces) refuses to automate the process of synchronizing the databases. Moreover, they told me what happened when she was told that she needed to implement this discount system. Literally Natalya (the so-called “director's name”), quote: “I dragged marketers to x * s,” telling them that they were completely morons and agreed to this and refused to do anything. I was shocked. But the call of the director of the network somewhat cooled the fervor of the emotional atishnitsa and some progress began, something worked, but how ...
How?
As-as, through the ass, excuse me for being rude. Attempts at negotiations did not lead to success, at first they even talked to me, now they don’t even respond to email and ICQ. My director throws up his hands and says that we have no way out - we have an agreement on special conditions and we cannot refuse them. As a result, at least 10 (!!!) people are involved in database synchronization! For my part, I generate an Exel file with the cards issued today, send it by mail to the girl Alyona (I do not know the position, everything happens automatically automatically). But as the file came the fun begins. Girl Alyona sends it to administrators of ALL stores, where then these data are MANUALLY entered into the database. Moreover, the “IT Director” requests that each batch of cards be submitted for use in an orderly manner. What for me, excuse me if you know the starting and ending map and barcode mask? What for MANUALLY to bring each card, if they anyway get into the database, as soon as the client receives the card? Where does it make sense to keep such an employee?
What we have?
A bunch of hemorrhoids. You probably thought - “But if you don’t care, it’s not your resources that you spend.” Yes, that's wrong. It is human nature to make mistakes, and with such a hierarchy, a lot of mistakes! Dissatisfied customers complaining that their cards are not working anymore in some stores. The girl Alena, increasingly calls and asks to send a copy for the day before yesterday, because someone deleted and she did not have time to send. I climb into the base and manually pull out what to do.
Ideal
After all the torments with the distribution network, a large network of pharmacies called us and wanted to become a partner. A programmer came from another city (attention, not local, living in another city and serving another pile of organizations like this network of pharmacies), we discussed the format of unloading over a cup of morning coffee, found a compromise version. The day was spent on writing modules, another day for start-up work. Everything worked, shook hands and he left. Everything, for a month from them not a single call, not a single customer complaint! Everything works and everything took 2 working days. And the respected grocery network continues to call once or twice a week.
I hope not a lot of snot spilled :) I now can not understand why we have this distribution network does not add up? Personal animosity? Banal laziness? Or the incompetence of the staff?
UPD. Transferred to "Idiots on the wire", thanks for the karma.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/80377/
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