Computernology eh!?

[HeyWayne]

Sorry to rant - but I'm struggling here.

Just over a year ago I was part of a "trial" team who were given the task of testing Lotus Notes. I was selected because I use large file sizes (artwork etc) and am a "heavy" user of emails.

Since then I have pointed out flaws, pitfalls and problems - there is very little that has proven useful, or added benefit within Lotus Notes.

It would appear that although part of a "trial" it was more about testing our network/system, than the programme itself.

Anyhoo - last month the entire company moved over to Lotus Notes and I, plus a number of the initial trial team were given the task of training everyone. Since then we have had nothing but problems. Our network is constantly struggling, we are constantly informed to try and use the server in Germany for viewing files and printing etc rather than uploading/downloading stuff to our local drives. Using the programmes on the German server causes slight delays when doing simple tasks like typing, zooming in/out of pdfs - it's a joke.

In these already tough economic times, we are effectively fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.

We've also taken on a new CRM system which again seems to add workload rather than easing it. We're all much busier than we were last year - but we're not any more efficient than we were!

I'm chair of our JCC (Joint Consultative Committee) which is supposed to be a forum for staff to raise concerns/problems/issues to the board, and for other communications to be passed back down the chain, but I know from past experience that if I raise such issues I am shot down in flames by the board members present, rendering the whole process pointless in my opinion.

I'm feeling very apathetic towards the company at the moment, and if the job market were more bouyant I'd probably be saying farewell.

I am now going to sit in a quiet corner chanting until calm reigns once more.

You know when even the smallest thing could cause you to spark! I keep catching my shirt sleeve on the corner of the desk as I type and the urge to launch the desk through the window is a very strong one!!

Woooosaaaaah!!!

*rubs ear lobes

[OverWyreGrower]

Hahaha.... oh yes, I know this one

Our entire campus moved on to Office2007 this year after, apparantly, lots of testing and consultations with departments and staff.

However, what they had forgotton to factor in was the HR & Payroll system (e.g. my department) and the fact that it wasn't compatible with Office2007 and needed several months work to patch it (as the programme belongs to an outside company).

Apparantly the IT team dealing with the roll-out didn't count the HR/Payroll system as a 'critical system' for the University We'd never even been invited to the consultations for critical systems.....

My response to the IT Team was that if they wanted a record of their service, their pension or to actually be paid, then they'd better not roll the system out until we'd been patched *sigh*

[Creemteez]

Oo-wer! All sounds very impressive and very frustrating, but as one who has not so much "Technofear" as "Technoterror" I haven't the foggiest clue as to what you're on about. I pat myself on the back every time I manage to get onto this website!
However, my sympathies for your state of technofrustration.

[shirlthegirl43]

Time to open that Zen retreat Wayne!

Deep breath in through the nose and slowly breathe out through the mouth counting to ten.... and repeat until you feel centred

[indigox]

Omm... Omm... !

[bobleponge]

Going have to offer my deepest sympathies to your plight HW without actually understanding a word of what you said.
I do, however, understand totally the frustration building rage that can cause you to explode irrationaly at a milliseconds notice. Sadly, I can give you no tips on that, I just explode.

[di]

Sadly I think it's a case of the Top Chappies(& esses)having to make you feel like you've got a voice,but then doing it their way anyway.

Similar thing...although far less ologyable...I was chosen to do a MORI poll a while back,the government wanted to gage a feeling of what us mortal folk thought about something they were going to quite obviously go ahead with anyway.
Everyone in the room thought it was a total pants idea & the rather naughty poll lady "suggested" at the end that she was getting the same results/feedback most of the time elsewhere in the country.
Guess what...a few weeks later I popped on the news & the new initiative was going ahead!

Unfortunately,they give us a voice but IMHO rarely bother to listen to it!

Sorry!!!Probably not the enthusiastic positive reply you were looking for!

[TEB]

YouTube - Kill My PC - Strike 2

[SlugLobber]

I'll join you in your apathym Wayne. Some rather alarming recent events meant that I applied for two jobs on Monday. I'm fighting the urge to throw certain PEOPLE out of the window, though, not desks.

I used Lotus Notes years ago and we all hated it. The company involved switched back to Outlook and Microsoft packages.

People may joke about meditating, but I was so angry on Friday, I had to try it, lying down on my bed!!! Seriously, I was so outraged at what went on! I did lower my heart rate, though.

[Incy]

Hahaha.... oh yes, I know this one


Apparantly the IT team dealing with the roll-out didn't count the HR/Payroll system as a 'critical system' for the University We'd never even been invited to the consultations for critical systems.....

Wow, where did you get your IT team from?!?!
I am currently working on a global IT upgrade project and the one thing that is a show stopper is if one of the countries payrolls won't run

[daleclarke]

Oh how many times have I seen this. I moved to Opensourse/Linux several years back as many of the companies I dealt with were doing the same (huge savings) and as a ex IT Training Manager I had to introduce this across several networks etc. and came across issues as this. The best part about companies is they will pay a fortune in software, pennies in training and that attitude never works and usually the person in charge is very blinkered or heavily pressurised to choose a certain system.

I know you do not like Lotus Notes, but actually it is a very good system in my opinion better than MS Outlook, if it is set up right and people are trained enough to use its powertools it can do an awful lot more!

[HeyWayne]

I know you do not like Lotus Notes, but actually it is a very good system in my opinion better than MS Outlook, if it is set up right and people are trained enough to use its powertools it can do an awful lot more!

The fact that we are using v6.5 probably doesn't help.

The whole company is doing the moonwalk - we look like we're moving forward, but in fact we are travelling backward!

I've heard a lot of "IT people" say that LN is better, but to the common user it seems far more procedural driven, and a lot less intuative.

[OverWyreGrower]

Wow, where did you get your IT team from?!?!
I am currently working on a global IT upgrade project and the one thing that is a show stopper is if one of the countries payrolls won't run

Ah, you see.... I work in a University, where academic departments, research and students are THE most important thing here.

Support services are second class citizens and everyone hates HR!! As long as the student-support programmes and the research monitoring programmes meshed with Office2007, then everything was obviously ok....

[Sinta]

Ah, you see.... I work in a University, where academic departments, research and students are THE most important thing here.

I work in IT dept of a University and nothing moves unless we are sure payroll is safe.

I know it must frustrate, but remember, the only time you really hear about your IT department is when something goes wrong. Usually when everything goes right, or good things happen, nothing is ever said about it, because the University's IT framework is not considered 'high' in the campus wide agenda.

[Hilary B]

Sadly I think it's a case of the Top Chappies(& esses)having to make you feel like you've got a voice,but then doing it their way anyway.

Similar thing...although far less ologyable...I was chosen to do a MORI poll a while back,the government wanted to gage a feeling of what us mortal folk thought about something they were going to quite obviously go ahead with anyway.
Everyone in the room thought it was a total pants idea & the rather naughty poll lady "suggested" at the end that she was getting the same results/feedback most of the time elsewhere in the country.
Guess what...a few weeks later I popped on the news & the new initiative was going ahead!

Unfortunately,they give us a voice but IMHO rarely bother to listen to it!

Sorry!!!Probably not the enthusiastic positive reply you were looking for!

The No10 petition site is pretty much that. They want to know what is bothering us, but they have no intention of doing anything about it! (and yes, I did sign the "Jeremy Clarkson for PM" one, because no, none of us exactly 'meant it' but it did point out how totally peed off we all are with what we have now).