Potentially, relief from adminisdribble

Computerworld -

Trouble Ticket

• At issue: There's no time to do all the projects that are lined up.
• Action plan: Get the boss to let someone help with supervisory duties.

If you've read my column a few times, you probably know that I hate what I call "adminisdribble" and that I pretty much wish there were two of me. My clone and I would at least stand a better chance of making headway with the many challenges and unfinished projects that face me this year. Admittedly, things must be pretty bad if I've begun to see cloning as my best way out.

I have had some other ideas. I've thought about unloading some of my management responsibilities so that I can focus purely on security projects. But unload them on what person? My boss values my management skills, and he isn't going to let me resign as the manager so I can be a security engineer.

I've thought about resigning altogether, with the hope that the agency would miss me so much that it would hire me back as a contractor. It's a nice fantasy, but the state's hiring freeze makes that option unrealistic.

As it turns out, there might be another way. A savior may have ridden to my rescue.

Out of the blue, one of my senior people asked me whether he could take on some supervisory responsibilities. I really wish I had a picture of my face at that moment. I had to restrain myself from shouting "Yes!"

He wants management experience. I'd love the help, of course, but I don't want him to sign on without understanding just what he'd be getting himself into. So I explained that most of what I do, day in and day out, is handle personnel issues, deal with management types, foster a customer service attitude, write reports, update project plans, answer questions, travel to the district offices, and be the face of IT and security for the agency.

My description of all this adminisdribble didn't scare him off, but I was still worried that he wouldn't be inclined to keep up with all the paperwork. He has never been one for writing status reports. I told him that I would need him to do his least favorite thing -- prepare status updates -- on a regular basis.

Did he really understand what he was asking for? Yes, he assured me, he was up to it.

Hoping for the Best

In the end, I agreed to talk to management about his promotion. I said I couldn't promise anything, though, in light of our recent budget cuts.