Author Topic: Acceptable management spe (Read 2269 times)

Beardy · « **on:** 23 December, 2019, 09:56:10 am »

Or rather one of those little nuggets of shit oft repeated by senior managers that you don’t actually whole heartedly dismiss out of hand.

I was reading this mornings Online Dilbert https://dilbert.com/strip/2019-12-23

which reminded me of a favourite utterance of a former senior manager.

“Good enough is by definition good enough”

This was usually uttered at those of us tasked with making sure the techies¹delivered within reasonable time and cost constraints.

1.He was a marketing man; it was best to keep him away from the full techies lest there be matter/anti-matter type coming together. Both sides were generally happy with this arrangement.

mattc · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 December, 2019, 10:02:55 am »

"management speak" seems to be quite a marmite thing!

When I read about "management b***shit" on social meeja, i generally think that about half of them are actually quite sensible phrases.

_{[But there is still no excuse for "Cover off" ]}

ElyDave · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 December, 2019, 04:33:47 pm »

teh 80:20 rule is very much underappreciated

Canardly · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 December, 2019, 10:09:19 am »

Due to Government funding cut backs, 'Good enough' is current parlance in the Public Sector for service provision standards, as against the previous search for 'Excellence'.

ian · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 December, 2019, 10:16:44 am »

The problem is that, even if correct, its too often an attempt to dress up the obvious as though it's something profound.

I periodically make them up anyway.

mattc · « **Reply #5 on:** 24 December, 2019, 07:09:19 pm »

Quote from: ian on 24 December, 2019, 10:16:44 am

The problem is that, even if correct, its too often an attempt to dress up the obvious as though it's something profound.

I periodically make them up anyway.

Well that's just a context thing - you can turn any old word into bullshit if you try! I guess it's all subjective, but ...

I'm sure there's a YACF thread about these things, and most posters just seem to be allergic to any work (or business) related turn of phrase invented since 1958.

TheLurker · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 December, 2019, 08:22:34 pm »

Quote from: mattc

...most posters just seem to be allergic to ~~any~~ work

I know I am.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #7 on:** 25 December, 2019, 10:32:47 pm »

I spent an entire career trying to avoid work. Now I'm retired I don't know what to do with myself.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 December, 2019, 09:42:22 am »

There is an old techie theory that the "good enough" technology usually wins, as it does the job and is cheaper than the best technology. Hence VHS video, CDs, DVDs and MP3, none of which are optimal and all of which have been challenged frim time to time.

Kim · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 December, 2019, 01:31:18 pm »

I thought VHS won because early Beta could only fit 1 hour on a tape, which clearly isn't long enough for anything worth recording. The resulting head start meant that VHS was cheaper as it became a mass-market product, became the format of choice for pr0n, and that was that.

The success of consumer media formats is nearly always about the price and the available content, not the technical merits (or lack thereof) of the format. Sometimes people who should know better forget this: Case in point, the success of the film Avatar, from which the industry decided to learn that people wanted more 3D films, rather than more films about blue tree-hugging aliens with USB tentacles.

Manotea · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 December, 2019, 02:16:15 pm »

The question is, 'good enough for who'?

I'm currently up to my eyeballs dealing with the consequences of 'good enough' solutions implemented by my forebears... They might have seemed good enough at the time but in fact just stored up unending grief for those who were to follow...

Generally I find that short cuts/compromise solutions inevitably come back to bite you... Either it's a solution or it isn't...

Torslanda · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 December, 2019, 03:33:06 pm »

Would someone point this out to the gammon?

As you were, waste of time...

TheLurker · « **Reply #12 on:** 26 December, 2019, 04:18:36 pm »

Quote from: Manotea

The question is, 'good enough for who'?
...
Generally I find that short cuts/compromise solutions inevitably come back to bite you... Either it's a solution or it isn't...

Ah well you're up against a successful evolutionary trait* there. "Good enough to get me away from the immediate threat and I'll worry about any future predator when I have to run away from it. *If* I live that long."

*That and bean-counters of course.

Phil W · « **Reply #13 on:** 26 December, 2019, 04:37:36 pm »

Quote from: Manotea on 26 December, 2019, 02:16:15 pm

The question is, 'good enough for who'?

I'm currently up to my eyeballs dealing with the consequences of 'good enough' solutions implemented by my forebears... They might have seemed good enough at the time but in fact just stored up unending grief for those who were to follow...

Generally I find that short cuts/compromise solutions inevitably come back to bite you... Either it's a solution or it isn't...

In the IT circles I work in that's called "technical debt", the future cost of any technical compromises you make this time round. We are required to highlight such deficiencies / debts in solution options, as best we can. But then you get the on time, or on budget project managers (timeline and budget decided by consulting ancient runes in a DOS 1.44" floppy disc) , and sod the quality of the solution, or what actually gets delivered, and the problems being stored up. Surprise suprise future projects then either come to a halt or take an increasingly long time to deliver due to several warehouses of debt / crap built up.

mattc · « **Reply #14 on:** 26 December, 2019, 06:21:20 pm »

Quote from: Manotea on 26 December, 2019, 02:16:15 pm

The question is, 'good enough for who'?

I'm currently up to my eyeballs dealing with the consequences of 'good enough' solutions implemented by my forebears... They might have seemed good enough at the time but in fact just stored up unending grief for those who were to follow...

Generally I find that short cuts/compromise solutions inevitably come back to bite you... Either it's a solution or it isn't...

There must be different types of compromise though e.g. the mp3 example - and forgive me, I don't know the details! - does no future harm if it's a bit lossier, or less efficient than the competition.
Likewise if VHS is bulkier or more expensive to make, say, than Beta (or V2000, oh woe is me!!!), that's just unfortunate.

HOWEVER I suspect you're talking about legacy problems that have knock-on effects (I'm sure you can give us a better example than me

)

p.s. I'm really sorry about the mess you're in. You're great, you'll fix it - not like those other wankers

Beardy · « **Reply #15 on:** 26 December, 2019, 09:06:03 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 26 December, 2019, 01:31:18 pm

I thought VHS won because early Beta could only fit 1 hour on a tape, which clearly isn't long enough for anything worth recording. The resulting head start meant that VHS was cheaper as it became a mass-market product, became the format of choice for pr0n, and that was that.

The success of consumer media formats is nearly always about the price and the available content, not the technical merits (or lack thereof) of the format. Sometimes people who should know better forget this: Case in point, the success of the film Avatar, from which the industry decided to learn that people wanted more 3D films, rather than more films about blue tree-hugging aliens with USB tentacles.

It was a Sony think. VHS was the design product of a consortium of manufactures and they also licensed the design out of other manufactures. Betamax was a Sony design and thus only available as a Sony machine. It was allegedly a technically better format, but that could have soemthing to do with only being available on well manufactured Sony machines. Ut more manufactures meant more machines AND competitive pricing so more demand for VHS format tapes. Eventually it was a numbers game and Betamax sank into the depths of history.

Beardy · « **Reply #16 on:** 26 December, 2019, 09:12:09 pm »

Quote from: Manotea on 26 December, 2019, 02:16:15 pm

The question is, 'good enough for who'?

I'm currently up to my eyeballs dealing with the consequences of 'good enough' solutions implemented by my forebears... They might have seemed good enough at the time but in fact just stored up unending grief for those who were to follow...

Generally I find that short cuts/compromise solutions inevitably come back to bite you... Either it's a solution or it isn't...

Ah, that’s the Good Enough for Now paradigm and is more about getting a senior a bonus than anything else.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 December, 2019, 11:14:30 am »

Interestingly, if you start typing "Do not" into Mr Google's Famous Web Search Engine the first suggestion is, for me at any rate, "Do notte buye Betamacks".

mattc · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 December, 2019, 11:22:50 am »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 December, 2019, 11:14:30 am

Interestingly, if you start typing "Do not" into Mr Google's Famous Web Search Engine the first suggestion is, for me at any rate, "Do notte buye Betamacks".

I *think* you're mistaken - you have to type "do notte" to get that!

(of course we all get slightly different results, caveat emptor ... )

Also interestingly, the list for "do " is good fun! But "do you spain"?? (at No.3) what the heck is that about?

Pingu · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 December, 2019, 01:30:09 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 27 December, 2019, 11:22:50 am

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 December, 2019, 11:14:30 am
Interestingly, if you start typing "Do not" into Mr Google's Famous Web Search Engine the first suggestion is, for me at any rate, "Do notte buye Betamacks".

I *think* you're mistaken - you have to type "do notte" to get that!

(of course we all get slightly different results, caveat emptor ... )

Also interestingly, the list for "do " is good fun! But "do you spain"?? (at No.3) what the heck is that about?

Top of the list for "don't" is "don't f with cats killer"

Jakob W · « **Reply #20 on:** 28 December, 2019, 05:15:23 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 28 December, 2019, 01:30:09 pm

Top of the list for "don't" is "don't f with cats killer"

'Don't F with Cats' is I believe a Netflix true crime show, m'lud.

jsabine · « **Reply #21 on:** 30 December, 2019, 12:17:17 am »

Quote from: mattc on 27 December, 2019, 11:22:50 am

Also interestingly, the list for "do " is good fun! But "do you spain"?? (at No.3) what the heck is that about?

Car hire company (well, consolidator).

Recommended, actually.

Author Topic: Acceptable management spe (Read 2269 times)

ian

Phil W