Setting the Stage:
The year had been hectic. No, insane is probably a better word by which to describe it. At work, I had been heavily involved in two mission/business critical projects that were inseparably tied together and which resulted in many of us working twelve hours a day or more for six and frequently seven days a week throughout the year. The first involved a major conversion from the existing mobility payroll system to that of the AT&T parent. While there was a great deal of work that had to be done in order to make this happen by year end, this was really the easier of the two projects in that it had a relatively well defined set of requirements. The second project was far more difficult. It required the development of an interface that would transfer actual time worked for hourly employees from the mobility time reporting system to the AT&T payroll system. The alternative to such as system as the one in mobility would be exception reporting where employees report only the time they have missed. Experience has shown us that employees are unlikely to report that they showed up ten minutes late, had a longer than allowed lunch break, or left a few minutes early. Our positive pay system had resulted in savings of several million dollars every year that it had been used, so it was very much in the best interest of the company. Unfortunately we were constantly being hit with changing requirements in what was to be reported to the payroll system, when it was to be reported, and the structure of the interface files themselves. Simply put, it was a pain in the neck to have to keep rewriting the extract procedures, and required changes were still being received just days before the project was due. As you might expect, there were not many happy people in my group, and clearly I was looking forward to a December get away with my Princess.
3 comments:
Even for a workaholic like yourself, the hours were unreal. It's the most I've ever seen you work, and that's saying a lot! It seemed only natural you would feel so exhausted.
I was sure I had commented on this post. I don't know what happened to it, but I wanted to make sure that you knew how much I appreciate this setting of the stage because I always think of you as busy, working hard, going in at crazy times of the day and night... but this was different. I didn't understand the stress and demands that you were facing until reading this. It really helps put into perspective the fatigue you were feeling and the importance of your time in Utah.
I'm with Jenn. You sure do keep a lot to yourself. I'm glad you are taking the time to do this. Anxiously awaiting the next entry.
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