Re: Question about time accounting at your work
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:27:44 +1000
Message-ID: <4AB51490.8020503_at_iinet.net.au>
Taylor, Chris David wrote,on my timestamp of 19/09/2009 6:28 AM:
> How many of you use project accounting at your place of work. Where every
hour has to be accounted for against projects, or maintenance or some other code?
Yup, very much the case here as well. The good thing is we have the flexibility of quickly adding a new project category if/when needed, rather than having to cop a list built by some bureaucrat with no clue on how to spell IT. Of course if we add one, we then have to explain it to our management. But at least we don't end up with missing hours.
> I was basically told I'm not "visible enough" --- this is 1 year after
receiving a ton of awards and accolades for solving a problem at one of our
sister companies. Now it "appears" that my value to the company is being
questioned. I imagine questions like "What does he do all day?" are being asked.
Hmmmm, sounds like some Oracle marketeer is trying to outsource your position and is selling management on the "value proposition". Happens all the time, no wonder marketeers are so well respected by dbas.
I'm quite sure any fool can "prove" outsourcing is a better/cheaper solution. Particularly when provided by the kind of folks who need to know "what is DUAL". All triple certified, of course.
> Usually I lump database support into 1 group, and patches/maintenance into
another group and performance tuning into a 3rd group. Now, I'm goign to have
to start micromanaging my hours. I work for an internal IT department at a
large corporation. I think we bill the other departments for services, but not
sure.
>
> Anyone else have to deal with this?
Yes, very much so. It's normal in larger organizations, where one department provides services to another.
In smaller companies you don't get as much of this as everyone is close enough to realise everyone else is doing their job.
Once they get big enough for the inter-deparmental wars, basically there is nothing stopping middle managers from claiming they would get better/cheaper services from outsourcing than from "paying those idiots in infra-structure".
It's how they get ahead in middle-management: shafting each other. You can be certain there would be kickbacks to said manager from the "suggested" outsourcer if it went ahead.
How do I know so much of these "details"? You should see the "propositions" I get all the time from outsourcers and services providers...
It's part of the "game" played in larger organizations and a perfect example why smaller companies are so much more efficient: instead of spending their time shafting each other, management actually does productive work.
Worst thing that can happen to a company is bureaucrats in middle management with too much time in their hands.
Good luck.
-- Cheers Nuno Souto in sunny Sydney, Australia dbvision_at_iinet.net.au -- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-lReceived on Sat Sep 19 2009 - 12:27:44 CDT