My Life With IT

I’ve done my share of IT projects for years. Throughout the years, I’ve often learnt some techniques from different teachers along the way. The different users I meet also gave me the opportunities to improvise despite being angry about the ways that things just change at their whims.

The Indecisive User

This user kept changing the requirements at every meeting. Likes to pick on things that aren’t functional. Is unable to decide if this function is more important than that function despite the impeding deadline.

Alternative: Give them the low down of the thing and confirm which are the important features to be rolled out 1st phase. Subsequent changes can be rolled out in the 2nd phase. This alternative may be time consuming but mention the word: budget in the communication tools and you’ll see miracles.

The Picky User

This user likes to pick on the colours, layout, functions, features and more. Even after massive overhaul based on the changes said, everything changes back to version 1 for the layouts, colours, functions and more.

Alternative: Backup every design for each phase and show them the demo upon the decided UAT date. Mentions keywords like user interface, budget and more. Hope for miracles.

The Forgetful User

This user likes to talk to you and forgets about it after that. Claims non-ownership even if the idea came from this user in the first place.

Alternative: Always follow up with an email listing the requirement changes and CC to the bosses who are involved. This way, you save yourself a major headache.

The Haughty User

This user has all the requirements laid out and likes to wait for you to fetch them to the UAT environment. Does not like to be delayed but will always be late for the testing. Prefers to talk to the higher authority than someone who is of a lower status.

Alternative: Send reminder emails about the date and venue. Include the test case. Let the higher authority know that you will be fetching them to the test environment. In the event the user wants the higher authority, let the higher authority know too.

The Know-it-all User

This user usually has some IT background and will instruct you how to develop, code and how the layout should look like. Sometimes, does not know what he/she wants. See The Indecisive User.

Alternative: Design a prototype and asked for more specifics as the requirements are often vague except for the programming portion.

The Want-it-all User

This user wants everything to work for the system. Likes the system to be 100% bug free. Prefers to have just 1 click and the system will do its magic. Expects the developers to be able to produce it in the shortest time possible when the requirements are not fully discussed. May be a little like The Haughty User.

Alternative: Give them the lowdown and explain that the system is unable to achieve everything if the deadline is too short to be able to fully test for 100% bug free launch. Send emails to confirm to prevent disputes. Documentations should include what the system is and isn’t able to perform.

I am not a project manager but I’ve seen mine using ways to calm down the users. There were times when I had to manage some projects on my own and recall how to handle it. While I’m not perfect, I learn them along the way.

Every year I learn something. Like I don’t learn everyday. As the year is coming to an end, I will now list down the things I’ve learnt this year that I didn’t last year.

1. Using lists in posts do make reading online better. See the group writing project I did?
2. I do lose focus of the blog when I get carried away by other distractions.
3. By losing focus of this blog, I have lost visitors and my daily visitors dwindled down to 0 for 3 weeks.
4. Page Rank for this new site took more than 3 months to be up due to unknown forces.
5. You can get demotion in Page Rank for some unknown issues.
6. Using bold in lists do help a lot too.
7. Using Ajax rocks especially in comments.
8. However, not when Akismet thinks you are spam in the comments. You get page error.
9. Bad Behavior will help to reduce the spam comments.
10. However, not when it thinks you are not the owner when the old version seems not compatible with WP 2.3.1.
11. I didn’t know that I would be so obsessed with the plugins.
12. I have way too many plugins that I’m using.
13. I have enjoyed Group Writing Projects so much.
14. I’ve invested too much of my time being too specialised in my area of job scope.
15. I can request for a change for my job scope and try my hand at something I have always wanted to do.
16. Adsense doesn’t work too well here.
17. Sponsored posts pay out faster for my case.
18. I’m using way too little keywords here.
19. I am giving up on trying to get organic traffic here.
20. MyBlogLog community does have other sites that may capture my interest.
21. BlogCatalog can be another source of new blogs for me to read.
22. I have to clean up my Google Reader sometimes.
23. I hate the new Blogspot comment area.
24. I can just check a wifi detecting watch for wifi.
25. So can a T-shirt too.
26. I’m stuck here trying to think of 21 other things I have learnt this year.
27. After getting my own domain, I have to worry about backups, hackers, upgrades, updates and many other things.
28. English sounding domain names are way easier to remember.
29. I don’t do very well at designing WP themes.
30. I join a lot of contests.
31. So much that this blog is no longer about what the original focus was for.
32. A short break without posting obsessively everyday does help to make the focus better.
33. I don’t use future post dates much.
34. Mobile version for this site is cool.
35. Youtube is the God of videos.
36. Maybe not.
37. There are bloggers who are scammers.
38. There are plugins that don’t work very well for me.
39. Not all Wordpress themes are clean.
40. Earning in the virtual world can be fun too.
41. There are delays in payouts.
42. It’s tough trying to think of 50 things when I’m having a blocked nose.
43. I’m amazed that I’ve reached nearly 50.
44. I could have made this list when I’m feeling better.
45. Social network sites are totally sucking up my time.
46. They can also be abused.
47. I suck at counting manually with a medication infested blood. See point 26.
48. I finally joined Facebook.
49. Only to play Scrabulous that none of my friends are too enthusiastic about.
50. I have way too many accounts for emails, sites that I no longer frequent and social networking sites.

There. I’ve done it. How about you?

It’s not easy thinking of new topics to write about and still be able to make the flow smooth in a site. However, if you take a post and add on to it, it’ll help you keep the momentum going.

I’m a lazy blogger and I haven’t been linking to my old posts except making use of the Related Post plugin. As for the recent group writing projects I’ve been joining, I haven’t even done some link love to all the other participants.

For example, the Link Post contest and Five Things. All other contest like the Top 5 and BlueJar have link love. These are only for group writing projects. I haven’t even consolidated other contest I’ve attempted. Oh, those contests don’t need a any link love from me.

The fun part of Group Writing Projects is the entry and reading other entries, the next best part is winning it. However, for those who haven’t gotten anything, they always get to be listed with lots of link loves. It’s the time management that gets things going. Having trouble? There are 33 time management tips to help you. See, it’s another group writing project that do help you.