# Change management rant



## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

If you can't run change control without delaying every project, wrapping unnecessary and time consuming red tape around otherwise simple jobs and allowing bolshy fucking project managers to side-step it because they can't do their fucking job properly don't implement it. Cunts.


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

like!


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## TitanSound (Nov 18, 2011)

+ 1000


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

I like it when the two people who have to approve your change have no fucking idea what you're doing and have to go through five pages of clicking 'yes' anyway.


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## souljacker (Nov 18, 2011)

I would also add that if you request a change at a specific time, i.e. 6.15pm on Wednesday, (my birthday) make sure your fucking phone is switched on so we can call you if there are issues.


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## gabi (Nov 18, 2011)

what the hell is change management


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## Big Gunz (Nov 18, 2011)

Not a proper job.


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## Pingu (Nov 18, 2011)

a good chnage manager enables change - in a controlled way. sadly most change managers I have seen think it is their job to prevent change.

to do it properly is hard. you need to have a good understanding of both technology and the business. you also need to be an excelent mediator and communicator.


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## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

Current favourites:

1. Change manager clicked "Implementation failed" instead of "Change approved" by mistake. A week later he still hasn't sorted that out and I can't do the work until it's approved or it's disciplinary time. Boss tells me off for not doing work.

2. Manager demands I put through a job as an emergency change. Change manager thinks it should be scheduled for 2 weeks time but is so impressed with his small amount of power he hits the "reject" button instead of changing it back to a normal change. Change becomes uneditable so I now have to waste time rewriting the request.

3. Developer updates website, not subject to change management for some reason, presses wrong button and brings down all websites.

4. Project manager knows website has to go live today, forgets to tell sys admins until day it's due. Gets a senior manager to sign emergency change to circumvent process and tells us we have to work late to make his website live.

5. Change manager decides firewall changes will now require a minimum of two weeks to go through the approval process. This to include a week between the change being approved and when it can be implemented.


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## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

Pingu said:


> a good chnage manager enables change - in a controlled way. sadly most change managers I have seen think it is their job to prevent change.
> 
> to do it properly is hard. you need to have a good understanding of both technology and the business. you also need to be an excelent mediator and communicator.



I've yet to meet one who could do this.


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## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

gabi said:


> what the hell is change management



Telling you could only detract from your life and happiness.


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

tbf, the woman in charge of change at my place is pretty reasonable.  If I go visit her at the desk we can usually work something out if there's a problem


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## gabi (Nov 18, 2011)

i still don't know what change management is.. marriage counselling? gap year advice? what is it.


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

it's a bureaucratic procedure designed for companies who don't trust their staff to do their jobs properly.


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## grit (Nov 18, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> it's a bureaucratic procedure designed for companies who don't trust their staff to do their jobs properly.



Its a procedure to cover their arse if/when something breaks.


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

The best I had to deal with was another developers company.  I was helping him integrate something and said "now restart your server".  He said it can take up to two weeks to restart it.  This wasn't even live, it was his _staging server_ 

He wasn't happy when I said we'll probably have to do this three or four times before we get it right


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

grit said:


> Its a procedure to cover their arse if/when something breaks.



I can understand it in some areas. Complex interactions, impacts on other business areas/deployments. Large networking changes for example.  Well, it could be useful if the people approving it were the people likely to be affected, but that's rarely the case tbh.

In mine I found myself having to fill out a pile of forms and wait a week just to do my job. A job I had been doing perfectly well without change management for the previous 6 years.


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## gabi (Nov 18, 2011)

ok i give up. so basically nobody actually knows what change management is. that could be the problem.


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## grit (Nov 18, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> I can understand it in some areas. Complex interactions, impacts on other business areas/deployments. Large networking changes for example.
> 
> In mine I found myself having to fill out a pile of forms and wait a week just to do my job. A job I had been doing perfectly well without change management for the previous 6 years.



I feel your pain, I've had to do change requests for minor logging config modifications to some applications.


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## gabi (Nov 18, 2011)

slams head into desk


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## grit (Nov 18, 2011)

gabi said:


> ok i give up. so basically nobody actually knows what change management is. that could be the problem.



Its basically when you have to fill out a bunch of forms to change something in a system, usually IT.


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

gabi said:


> ok i give up. so basically nobody actually knows what change management is. that could be the problem.



Everytime I want to do something to a server/website/network etc (this is in IT) I have to fill out a form, which then has to be approved by various people before I can do it.


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## gabi (Nov 18, 2011)




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## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

In theory it's a good thing.

Changes to (IT) systems are logged so that if something goes wrong you can look at what was last changed as an indicator of what the problem might be.
Some seemingly minor changes can actually have far reaching affects and it can serve as a safety net to prevent unnecessary outages.
Changes which have the potential to bring down vital services are scheduled so as to have minimal impact.
People who should not be making significant changes are prevented from doing so.

The problem arises when poor implementation leads to red tape which delays and prevents people from just doing their job. It's almost impossible to do right, but as many senior managers have just done a course in Prince and Itil they bring it in without really understanding how it affects the people actually doing the work.


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## Pingu (Nov 18, 2011)

ringo said:


> I've yet to meet one who could do this.



hi


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## Pingu (Nov 18, 2011)

gabi said:


> ok i give up. so basically nobody actually knows what change management is. that could be the problem.


 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management_(ITSM)

but not applied literally.. or its a shit if not shitter than having no change control in place


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## mattie (Nov 18, 2011)

The trick is to manage by exception - only require work which has broad impacts (and the trick is in both defining broad and identifying genuine impact) to have to go through change managment.

Where I work, I've seen change requests for replacing printer toners.  Something has gone very wrong for that to get through.


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## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

Pingu said:


> hi



Blithe self belief seems to come with the job


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## ringo (Nov 18, 2011)

I just checked your location to make sure you're not my CM


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## Pingu (Nov 18, 2011)

ringo said:


> I just checked your location to make sure you're not my CM



i am not currently a change manager. the pay is shite


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## free spirit (Nov 18, 2011)

Pingu said:


> the pay is shite


this could be the problem.


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## Addy (Nov 18, 2011)

Change management is not specific to IT and websites 

It's applicable to almost every buisness.  I'm a key worker in change management within a plant/hgv manufacturer, and were really shit at change management.
Why have a 5 gate process for new project introduction then fooking ignore it?
So dont fooking moan when it goes tits up!!!

People from other departments dont do their job correctly which makes my job fooking impossible!!!!

Change is inevatable, grasp it, use it and do it properly you cunts!


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## fractionMan (Nov 18, 2011)

I'm not sure what would be worse, working in testing or working in change management.  Both thankless tasks.


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## equationgirl (Nov 18, 2011)

Me and a colleague invented our own version of change management - challenge management. We did this manage the challenges associated with constant change without going insane. We seem to be changing the processes, people or organisation structure every few months so it gets a bit trying after a while.

I think the main problem is that people are too scared to make decisions in case the blamestorming finger is pointed at them.


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## grit (Nov 19, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> I'm not sure what would be worse, working in testing or working in change management. Both thankless tasks.



I think its a sick twisted mind that enjoys a Q&A position


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## souljacker (Nov 19, 2011)

Addy said:


> Change management is not specific to IT and websites



I've done some stuff with the railways. We used to sell them a little widget which was essentially a fibre loopback cable. We had some problems with stocking which meant  the widget was made with some green cable rather than our usual orange. It took 6 months to get this past change management!


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## Pingu (Nov 20, 2011)

these days its all about portfoliio management anyhow. change management is so 2006


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## Artaxerxes (Nov 21, 2011)

ringo said:


> I've yet to meet one who could do this.



So true, sitting ITIL was one of the more painful things I've ever had to do.


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