02-13-2021, 01:17 AM
So I'm the coordinator for a new project--replacing an important 20-year-old manual process with a brand new up-to-date software-based process. This is one of the biggest things I was hired into this job to do. This is the first in an infinite series of similar projects: get input data, provide to specialists, support specialists in working with data, get data to third parties we are obliged to give it to. If this goes right, we'll reduce time and effort needed by maybe 33% to 50%. So it's not the biggest deal in my shop, but it's one of the biggest deals in my portfolio
As part of this, I'm relying on data from our IT team about the status of certain tasks.
IT told me "processing complete" on certain tasks. So I updated the people I'm supporting--tasks are complete! We can inform the external third parties we out deliverables to that tasks are complete! The people I support start sending out emails! Other dependent schedules are finalized!
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Except...I start double checking some of the metrics, and they don't match up. Turns out, when they told me "processing complete," they didn't include about 75% of the work--because although "technically" it was complete, and in theory the specialists could use it, they hadn't released the work because they were still working on double-secret processing and other steps they hadn't told me they needed to do, even though they told me "processing complete"....
Now I have to send emails to the people I support (who work with my managers) to explain the situation. Best case: all the processing gets done this weekend, I scramble, and we have to explain to the third parties, "Whoops, ignore prior email, but the good news is that you're getting more of the data you want!" Worst case, well, I'll just say I'm keeping an eye on deadlines....
As part of this, I'm relying on data from our IT team about the status of certain tasks.
IT told me "processing complete" on certain tasks. So I updated the people I'm supporting--tasks are complete! We can inform the external third parties we out deliverables to that tasks are complete! The people I support start sending out emails! Other dependent schedules are finalized!
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Except...I start double checking some of the metrics, and they don't match up. Turns out, when they told me "processing complete," they didn't include about 75% of the work--because although "technically" it was complete, and in theory the specialists could use it, they hadn't released the work because they were still working on double-secret processing and other steps they hadn't told me they needed to do, even though they told me "processing complete"....
Now I have to send emails to the people I support (who work with my managers) to explain the situation. Best case: all the processing gets done this weekend, I scramble, and we have to explain to the third parties, "Whoops, ignore prior email, but the good news is that you're getting more of the data you want!" Worst case, well, I'll just say I'm keeping an eye on deadlines....