Programmer/Analyst
by Danae F. Beck
Part II: A Typical Day
A typical day starts at 7 a.m. to make sure that all processing was completed from the prior day and take care of any problems so that the regular staff that comes in later does not have their work delayed. On a typical day, I might find myself multitasking among the following issues: a person from QA is testing program modifications and has found anomalies, a person from the Help Desk has hit the ceiling on his authority and needs my intervention, a bank has called about a data transmission that was in error and that needs manual verification, a manager has a question about the misbalance in the accounting ledger, and programmers who want to discuss their decision on a particular situation. So, now it is 7:10 a.m. and time for a coffee break. (Just kidding!)
“Typically, management is concerned with deadlines, data integrity, the viability of the human elements, personnel issues, and conceptual problems. ”
On a typical day, I have at least one meeting with senior management in which they have specific questions about the technology that is being used to meet business requirements in the coming month. Typically, management is concerned with deadlines, data integrity, the viability of the human elements, personnel issues, and conceptual problems. The underlying commonality is money; can the goal be accomplished within the time allowed and within budget using our current resources?
I typically have fifteen minutes to prepare for the initial meeting. I use those fifteen minutes to list my major issues, beside each one I list the alternative solutions and potential pitfalls, and occasionally I jot in the names of key players, regardless if these people fall under my direct supervision. I don't write down cost issues because I know the resources that I need will be made available. My overriding concern during this time is wondering if the skill sets of all involved are current enough to handle the cutting-edge issues involved in most of these situations.
Generally, when it is a planning meeting for a specific goal or vision, the meeting will last about an hour. It will be attended by a representative from each department, usually a middle manager that will be directly affected by the outcome. My overriding concern is the appearance of an issue, or priority or must-have that has not been foreseen by me or one of management's representatives. We try to work around the situation and find a workable solution.
Successful completion of these types of scenarios requires me to be cordial, respectful of each participant's technological expertise (avoiding talking down to people), to understand the context of other's comments and how they relate to the big picture.