I knew someone once (and Peter remembers this guy) who wanted to over see a project (and review the code!) that Peter and I would work on. He wanted it done in "asp" (like the snake, not "eh-ess-pee" like it is normally referred to as). We didn't know what he was talking about, but figured it out after a while. One of the things that makes me want to run away screaming is when people who I don't think are technical, and they think they are technical, try to tell you how to do things when they are totally out of their depth.
I understand that I am a young guy and don't have a lot of experience. Fine. But I think that I have a good idea of what my boundaries are and when to defer to other people. I don't think that some people know theirs. In whatever job you have (or life for that matter), just know what you can talk about with authority.
I had a conversation with someone recently where they said "I'm technical" and then backed it up with saying that they "knew about Java, WSAD, Oracle and where they fit in". Yikes! I don't consider that technical at all. That's like me saying I watch ER, so that makes me medical staff.
And I think that this is how there are software projects that get way out of hand. People think that they have the skills, the knowledge, etc. and they really don't. I on the other hand know that I don't, but I'm learning fast. ;-)
Listening to: Aqua - Cartoon Heroes
It's like they say, true intelligence is knowing how little you actually know. Those people who think they know everything are the unintelligent ones. It's important to realize your boundaries, so you can try to expand your boundaries
ReplyDeleteI see your point, but I can imagine that it's difficult for managers to know all of the technical details of the products that their subordinates use. The abstraction of "I know what they do and how they fit together" is useful enough for them to shuffle bodies around to fill positions. There is a certain amount that is useful to them, but there is a lot that isn't.
ReplyDeleteWith all of the managerial responsibilities these people have, it's no wonder they can't keep up technically. Plus, they don't use the technology on a daily basis like we do.
The best we can do as "experts" in the trenches is to educate them (politely) to the issues, so that they can make informed decisions that benefit us. This is what they are supposed to be doing anyway, but sometimes it takes some politicking.
I know a lot of us hate that, but when you want to get a message across to management sometimes its best to speak their language and put yourself in their shoes.
Here's a nice little link about how you have to change your way of speaking so as not to confuse those who aren't so technical.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20040525.html
I was referring mostly to your last point there with my comment. Overall though I agree that people who aren't technical shouldn't represent that they are, even if in the past they were.
ReplyDelete