|
I've found that with some clients I have to explain the issue and ask them the necessary questions; then at the end I put, in one very short sentence, what I need them to do; and highlight it in bold.
e.g.
In order to calculate xyz I need to know whether the percentages of abc are pro-rated across the entire date range when either end is before or after the start/end date of the whatchamacallit's activation period. Let me know if rates should be pro-rated.
I summarise by saying "I'll await your response to the [n] items highlighted above".
Never ask more than 4 questions in such an email. If the issues are related to each other, send separate emails. (Otherwise the respondee answers one question and thinks they've covered the subject!)
|
|
|
|
|
Ultimately the thing that bothers me the most is the tools. Not that they aren't vastly better than they used to be, but they are still so far from what they could be. And, since they are what I need to get my thing done day in and out, any lackings will tend to be magnified in terms of frustrations I experience in the process of coding.
Explorans limites defectum
|
|
|
|
|
Particularly from when I wrote it 6 months ago and didn't have a clue how this new library was supposed to work. Now I have a better understanding of how the library works, just not how to improve my barely-working code without rewriting all of it...
|
|
|
|
|
I know what you mean
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
|
|
|
|
|
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant Anonymous
- The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine Winston Churchill, 1944
- Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. Mark Twain
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yep. That was my first thought too.
|
|
|
|
|
Oh really, your programming life is bliss - bloody masochist!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
|
|
|
|
|
To be quite honest: I like programming per se, but I don't like working as a programmer.
But it pays the bills, and it's the only real skill I have (that can genereate money, anyway)...
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant Anonymous
- The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine Winston Churchill, 1944
- Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. Mark Twain
modified 26-Nov-19 2:27am.
|
|
|
|
|
Not knowing how to proceed further.
|
|
|
|
|
Amarnath S wrote: how to proceed further. Sometimes one or two step back help to see things in perspective and maybe a tiny change of direction help avoiding the obstacle.
When I struggle with something for a couple of hours and nothing comes... I do a break and then I get someone else and try to explain my problem, mostly when I hear myself I think "how didn't you see that before, you moron?"
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
|
|
|
|
|
True.
One it is done, it feels like "This is so obvious, how did I not get it earlier".
|
|
|
|
|
... I had one project (in Z80 assembler) where the priority I had to give to inputs changed seven times, resulting in me scraping the code seven times and starting again ... while fending off the customer MD complaining I was taking too long.
I don't deal with that company any more - I think my increase in hourly rate put them off.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
I concur!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
|
|
|
|
|
I'm sure I don't know what you mean. I certainly didn't spend last Thursday swearing at the computer and rewriting large parts of a project because the customer had changed the requirements on Wednesday evening, wanted to demo it first thing Tuesday morning, and I was on holiday from Friday to Monday.
No. Nope. That didn't happen.
And they certainly haven't significantly changed the requirements yet again after the demo, and want to go live in the middle of my Christmas holiday.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
|
|
|
|