Where's Lori ..., and what has she been up to? Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hello everyone.

I wanted to post a message to say I'm thrilled with all the workshopping efforts I've been reading. There are so many diverse topics and people here that foster feedback which makes MM a true pleasure to play a part in, reading all the fine works and interactions. It's hard to believe there was a time that I actually could respond to every new post in the crit forums -sadly, I am not able to keep up anymore - but the reasons are wonderful in that there are so many new topics being put out there. It's all good.

While I am online every day, I am not always actively posting. I want to apologize for this. I'm in a tizzy at present at work as it's the final two weeks of a two year 'major systems project' at Bose that I've been the lead on for one of the most complex portions of the system (our end-consumer installment billing processes), which is all custom code. I gave it a RED status (hard stop) to the steering committee last Monday. As a result, a critical I/S team was put together to work with me and my team - hey, they even bought us lunch yesterday, LOL (even after my kicking it's butt *in not so friendly words, LOL* and we're working pretty much 24/7 right now through this coming week. *Sigh* Talk about burn out.... My body shut down today - I guess it had enough.

It's a long story and I'm CERTAIN there will be a poem or two in the works when this is over, but in any event - I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your commentary in the forums and patience as I struggle through this next week.

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Fond regards all,
Lori

[Guest_Cathy_*]

Sounds exhausting Lori! I hope you survive it! LOL

Cathy

[Cleo_Serapis]

That's such an appropriate word to use, Cathy. I am so utterly exhausted. They're going live on July 2nd. Over the past 2 weeks, I uncovered 6 major show-stoppers, 3 were fixed Tuesday but 6 more minor ones were uncovered in my scrutiny and testing of the processes. Each day since then, we've been ticking away at them, resolve 3, find 1 new one - that sort of thing. They waited too long to listen to me and my business partners - I was asking for data back in April and they couldn't get it organized and coded until end of May. *sigh*.

I was talking to Liz last night and my voice is pretty much shot now as within the past 36 hours I came down very ill. I hope to recover today just staying in and resting up. I went in yesterday for 6 hours, then worked 2 more from home last night but am so wiped out. I feel like I have broken ribs every time I cough, so I'm trying not to, LOL! *Duh*

Even after go-live, I expect 3-6 months of stabilization (more likely 12-15), but that will fall to the Customer Operation Group and not my team, so the Manager of that group (billing, collections & reporting) has been attending these daily critical meetings and fully supports me and my stance and I've gotten much needed assistance from several of the folks that work for him. Time will tell! They actually gave each of the 'core team' members these blue thermal lunch bags last month with goodies inside and one of them was a 'survivor' postcard. Me and another team member were joking about it saying, 'we've been exiled', LOL! Him and I have tended to be the most vocal - but that's why our bosses chose us for this role two years ago, because they knew we would be overly inquisitive and find any bugs in the process.

Anyway, I could go on, but let's not and say we did!


~Lori

[Guest_Cathy_*]

I hope your employers appreciate all the hard work you do for them!! You take care and get to feeling better... ya hear?? *smiles*

Cathy

[Peterpan]

Hey Lori!

Get well. Eric and I have been sick for a week. The flu here is horrible. I have been off work since last Tuesday! We are having an unusually cold winter, considering our last few. One degree and minus in the am an evenings, then 18-20 at mid day. That is why we get so sick.

Hope you get through the next weeks. Sounds hectic to say the least! Good luck.

PP

[AMETHYST]

Hey Lori,

I hope things are beginning to clear up for you. I know how intense they were getting. I too, have been jumping on and reading what I can, checking the forums, but not having the time to post or critique for a bit. It's been hectic at work and at home - I hope to be able to find myself with more personal time over the next day or two.

Hugs, Liz ...

[Guest_Don_*]

Hi Lori,

Rising after a fall is called a bounce. It is a natural reaction when the springy part impacts.

Keep the gold watch, just send cash.

Don

[Peterpan]

Hi Lori

Dont let them abuse you!

PP

[Cleo_Serapis]

Cathy - I've heard from some high level folks that 'admiration' is the word going around (about me and my team). The folks that matter most to me definitely appreciate my position, stance and thoroughness in getting the job done right. There's only so much I can do though and I'm completely worn out. I'm hopeful that TODAY is the last day of this critical mass. It's like Cleo-Vesuvius is about to erupt, LOL! I was so sick, I stayed home Wednesday but put in a 9 hour day from home on my laptop and using the phones all day (cell and home phone) - it was CRAZY! I've actually had to bring some paper cups with me and a box of tissue to keep next to my 'space' in the war-room (as we've come to call it). I apologized in advance to my team but when I cough, I have to let it up (mucus that is) -sorry all, but I say it like it is (even at workk, LOL). Surprizingly, they aren't grossed out by it - that's only if I can't get the restroom first. We call the cup - Lori's spittoon, GROSS!

Bev - I hope you are feeling better now! Brrrr -that's COLD in your neck of the woods!

Don - they keep taking us out for lunch (that's about it), no gold watches but cash would be great!

Liz - I'm hopeful today is the end of this road as testing is almost complete. I hope to be done by 11 am actually, just afew more tests to go from the new 'tax code' they put in Wednesday night to confirm works as expected. There's only going to be 2 folks today as a few are taking the day off but we're almost there. I've got to get now to get in there. I've worn my 'party jacket' today in anticipation. Hope it's not premature! I have no plans this weekend other than to stay in and rest up and be online here.....

Bev - nah , never gonna happen - I'm too vocal about these things they've tasked me with.

HUGs all
~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Thanks for your well-wishes all. I had set 11am as the deadline for completion on Friday as I only had 2 testers (including me) and 2 system support persons there to finish up. At 10:40, we completed the montrous undertaking and then I sent a memo to many key people to let them know the results and that Installment Billing was now a 'go'. I gave my team special recognition in the memo, stating that I was pleased and proud to have worked with such a passionate team of professionals and extended my sincere thanks. I could not have done this without them and the support of their managers.

Unfortunately, my chest cold has worstened because I pushed myself beyond the limits my body could handle working too many hours (being sick and run down) under intense pressure and stress and not resting. If IB wasn't resolved the project would have been pushed out and there was no way that could have happened (long story). I'm staying in all weekend and hope I can get some relief from the coughing and mucus (YUCK) but I think I may end up at the doc's early next week for anti-biotics. I HATE taking them! They make me feel weird.

I'd love to immerse myself in POETRY all weekend and hope it's magic can work wonders.....

As for recognition, I had several conversations with my director Friday and it's all good! Many high-level folks have been emailing and meeting with her about my leadership role and passion etc. during the entire project and especially in crisis mode the past 3 weeks that she shared with me. I said I wouldn't cave, no matter what, if I didn't think the code was top-notch and working as designed to 100% satifaction. I expect nothing less, nor should anyone else that will be affected by these changes. It was a tough place to be in, but they relied on that stance, and chose me to lead it because that is how I approach these types of things. Sometimes, though, one has to settle for less - but we were lucky. I know there will be issues when we go live on July 2nd, but that is normal in any huge systems project - I anticipate a stabilization period of 6 months. Luckily, it'll be a hand-off to another department, LOL!

Time to relax and kick back for a bit.......

~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Well, as a quick reply, we DID go live on July 2nd, and the program has MANY rather significant issues, which is why I pulled two 60+ hour weeks these past two weeks. No time to have fun at MM, sadly, I'm just too utterly exhausted at present.

I've been working hand in hand with the Manager of the billing & collections team to delegate the stabilization priorities. It really should be a hand-off at this point to their team. However, because of my leadership and knowledge of the inner workings of the system and receivables process, ANOTHER crisis team was implemented last Tuesday night and I ws called on the my way home and requested to be on it. I felt I couldn't say 'no'. Not good politicing.....

There are MANY issues of which a portion is with the installment billing program (which I led), in large part, due to the programmers NOT following requested instructions and NOT loading certain transports that were required. So, now we're cleaning up the mess, and it's the HIGHEST priority. If you recall, I had given IB a RED no go, and only made it green with conditions just a few days before go-live: they (1) load the orders in the right sequence with the proper program steps (separate jobs) ~ if that didn't happen that way - it would be a MESS and (2) make sure ALL transports (bugs we found and fixed with code additions during testing and CRISIS team analysis) were copied over before go-live on July 2nd into the new platform.

Well, in both cases, they screwed it up..... I was SO utterly disgusted yesterday I told them to f**k off, started to cry and walked out for about 1/2 hour to calm myself down. It's been quite an emotional time for everyone involved. I also reiterated that we wouldn't be in this HELL if they had LISTENED to representative of the greater business channels and followed the plan.

Glad to get that off my chest! Things are looking up now, we spent the past 6 days working on known issues with 20,000 orders, correcting them MANUALLY with a team of 10-12 awesome folks - since an automated fix only covered 13,000 of them.

I've led three of the four process plans in this crisis and one was completed Friday and the other two were completed at 5:30 pm last night. There's one left, that we know of, that should be done this morning.....

I'm hopeful the hand-off will take place this week and I can FINALLY get back to a normal work week.... It's been FAR too long....


Lori

[Guest_Don_*]

Hi Lori,

A basic tenent of success is to make it obvious. If God had created the forbidden fruit unedible we couldn't have sinned. I know the tale is about free will and choices, but obvious choices are failsafe.

Don

[Peterpan]

Lori, we salute you! It all sounds horrendous. I am glad I dont work for a corporate, of that nature! You poor thing! I hope all improves and you are able to take some days off to recuperate, and become Lori again!

Take care of yourself! In a previous mail I said, dont let them abuse you! I say it again! I hope it was all worth it?

Bev