management speak
Another amazing example came in last night.
It seems it is too much to ask some people to actually read and comprehend even top couple of lines of the email before replying with questions.
________________________________________
From: [name deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 4:51 PM
To: jane
Subject: Re: jane's status
Hey Jane,
I was wondering if this means that the feature is complete and ready to test from our end.
Thanks,
[name deleted]
________________________________________
From: jane
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 3:58 PM
To: [name deleted]
Subject: jane's status
[name deleted]
How are things?
I am deep in [feature]. It is kinda working, getting requests and passing them on to [another feature] service, but I am still figuring out how it can stand on its own as a separate service.
I will stop fiddling tomorrow and make it finally work. Oh, and I also need to make it actually [perform the service].
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Comments
What "management" speaks
What "management" speaks like that? "I sorta don't get it." I also think that some of the meaning and texture of the communicaiton is lost.
Wow.... what nebulous
Wow.... what nebulous messages.
I have to admit that once I received a work email that didn't make any sense at all, and I responded with a single word reply:
"What?"
Business communications
Business communications needs to be clear, concise and comprehensive. Sometimes, the only response to "messages" like that is to "say what?" People have lost the ability to communicate. All of this shorthand stuff and texting is ruining the English language.
It doesn't matter, the way
It doesn't matter, the way things are going pretty soon the official tongues for software development will be Hindi or Telgu.
Unfortunately, it is
Unfortunately, it is possible to skip reading and comprehension in any language. Idiocy knows no borders or language barriers.
That is true... have you
That is true... have you seen the Mike Judge movie "Idiocracy"?
I haven't seen this
I haven't seen this movie.
Dilbert has it all, though.
Of course it matters.
Of course it matters. That's what this whole thing is all about. The quesiton that has to be asked by Industry is recognizing the cost of outsourcing to their long term existence.
Well, it was intended to be
Well, it was intended to be a flip sarcastic remark... but on a serious note, the industry does not appear to recognize or care about the cost of outsourcing, off-shoring or temporary importation of cheap labor to their long term existance. That is because one of the fundamental underlying problems with the US, both the government and corporations is lack of long-term big-picture thinking. All that matters is the numbers for the next quarter or the next election. That leads to decisions that even if they work for the short term dig us all into a deeper hole down the road. But the powers that be, politicians (of both parties) and PHBs don't care because they are getting theirs, and they have a golden parachute they can pull the ripcord on when things go bad and the rest of us are left to go down in flames.
In re: "Nebulous messages."
In re: "Nebulous messages." If something (a subject) is so sensitive that you can't come right out and say/write it, then it should be said in person with no public record.
Realize how much time is wasted by people writing a chain letter to try to clarify what was really meant, and how often the final email in a thread bears no resemblance to the initial question. In many ways, life was alot simpler before instant communications.
"Flip and sarcastic" was not
"Flip and sarcastic" was not lost. But you correctly identify the lack of long term vision as one of the root causes of the problem.