Successful, redefined

This IT pilot fish works in change management at a big organization -- with at least one big contractor problem.

"We've just completed an upgrade of a software package used on every workstation," says fish. "Normally, that takes a couple months. But this critter took a full 11 months to deploy.

"The contractor had multiple stops and starts, and the software had to be sent back to be re-engineered four times.

"The engineering was so bad that at one point the engineers showed a splash screen saying 'Please Wait for the Reboot' -- then failed to call the reboot, leaving the customer setting for hours looking at 'Please Wait.'

"The service desk fielded over 40,000 calls about it -- it was so bad that, at one point, the service desk failed to meet its contractual service level.

"But we finally worked through all the pain. Then I looked at the change tickets -- four of them, because of all the rework.

"The contractor characterized all four as 'Successful.'"

Sharky wants your story, even if it's not quite perffekt. So send me your true tale of IT life at sharky@computerworld.com. I'll file off the identifying marks and send you a stylish Shark shirt if I use it. Comment on today's tale at Sharky's Google+ community, and read thousands of great old tales in the Sharkives.

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