[HN Gopher] Bullshit Software Projects
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       Bullshit Software Projects
        
       Author : vanyle
       Score  : 12 points
       Date   : 2022-11-22 18:58 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (earthly.dev)
 (TXT) w3m dump (earthly.dev)
        
       | adamgordonbell wrote:
       | Author here. I asked some devs this question:
       | Although you are required to do your job, you secretly believe it
       | is pointless and should not need to be performed.
       | 
       | Turns out a lot of people answered yes, which is sort astounding.
        
         | jiggawatts wrote:
         | Happens in every large org.
         | 
         | A recent example I personally witnessed was spinning up a file
         | share for _archived_ data that just had to be online somewhere
         | for the document search system to pick it up for indexing.
         | 
         | In the first meeting, I proposed simply creating an Azure File
         | Share. This is simple enough that I could have completed the
         | entire task during the meeting.
         | 
         | That was rejected due to the unspecified concerns of someone
         | not in the meeting who has no skin in the game.
         | 
         | Literally _months_ of nearly daily meetings and workshops
         | ensued where dozens of people were involved in finding a
         | supplier, setting up file servers, commissioning network links,
         | punching holes through firewalls, etc, etc...
         | 
         | There was a point where they were seriously contemplating
         | digging up the street and laying new fibre for a few terabytes
         | of unused data.
         | 
         | Everyone knew it was stupid. Everyone knew it was a waste of
         | time. Everyone knew that none of this had to be done.
         | 
         | But you see, that one guy, who wasn't even there... had some
         | misgivings. He's _shouty_ and nobody wanted to argue the point.
         | So everyone had to go through the motions just to appease this
         | one guy.
         | 
         | This is how bullshit jobs happen in big orgs. Stupid internal
         | politics, misaligned incentives, and no personal reason to care
         | about cost efficiency.
        
       | mxuribe wrote:
       | There always the fear that if someone speaks out about a
       | BS/zombie project, one could get negatively impatced by things
       | like hit by lay off, since "we don't need you any more"; or,
       | refocused to do even less fun, more beauracratic work; or, the
       | blame somehow gets shifted that "its YOUR fault that this project
       | has gone no where!", etc.
       | 
       | My rule of thumb nowadays is if i get assigned to a zombie
       | project, i try and whine and complian alot to the point of being
       | annoying...but if that fails, i try one or more of the following
       | things:
       | 
       | - semi-force my way onto a more fun or useful project...and sort
       | of show zombie project l;eader that "hey, sorry, i'm split onto
       | another project..."
       | 
       | - create my own fun project - but needs to really apply to
       | employer's business, and actually add value.
       | 
       | - work on a side hustle (assuming it does not legally conflict
       | somehow with the day job that assiugned me to the zombie project)
       | 
       | - search job boards, linkedin, etc. for the next gig
        
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       (page generated 2022-11-22 23:02 UTC)