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Who Plays the 'Blame the Tech' Game?
An anonymous reader asks: "I work for a marketing services company, and it is my department's role to develop and maintain reporting systems for all the data we collect. When a department manager sees a dip (or rise) in one of there KPI's the first thing they do is ask me to 'check out the reporting', because '[they] think there is a problem'? It's this just the culture of my company or have other readers experienced a 'blame the technology first, ask questions later mentality'?"
First let me say that the part where the researchers say "Get me the president!" isn't upon the first discovery of an impending disaster. It's usually after the data has been double checked & verified by other sources (if possible).
So, if your manager turns these reports over to upper management or shareholders & these have dire consequences upon how your department is viewed--then maybe it's not such a bad idea to double check the equipment or software.
Also, you're employed for a reason. If your manager ever handed over a faulty report, who's ass is on the line? Probably not yours. It's their ass that should get canned if they give faulty information. Now, if your ass was on the line and some outlying data came out in a report, would you constantly double check it?
And, has it ever been wrong before? If this is the twentieth time they've asked you to check it and it's never been wrong before, then maybe they're overdoing it. But if it's been faulty before, give them some credit for just trying to get to the bottom of things. Maybe this isn't the blame game, maybe this is just extreme caution. I don't get this kind of treatment where I work.
The sad part of it is that they're your manager & if they're blaming you, then they're probably saying that to the managers above them also. However, if I were upper management, I'd see through that and can your manager for their inability to take responsibility for those reporting to them.
My work here is dung.
Don't assume they're lying. There's a problem somewhere. Experience has told them (and myself as a developer of products heavily reliant on reporting) that the problem is more likely in the software, than the type of paper stock they used in the printer.
If the problem isn't the reporting algorithims, it's in the data - maybe you need to check validation on the front end.
Do you always get so defensive about these things? I doubt it's a vast right-wing conspiracy.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
RIAA: Its not that our music sucks, its cause of PIRATES!
Ford: Its not that our Cars are crap, and expensive, its cause the Japanese imports are utilizing a weak Yen
Sub-Prime loan companies: its not our fault these loosers we gave $500,000 to buy a 2 bedroom house with an interest only loan are defaulting, its the Federal Reserve for raising the interest rates!
Blame is everywhere, its not technology, its the data. The reports he's questioning came from a computer. If "Ted" had tabulated the results, your boss would force 2 other people to double check the data in the report, cause maybe "Ted" screwed up a decimal place somewhere, even though Ted has a masters in statistics.
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
There is an old saying: "A bank never makes a mistake in your favor".
If they screw up, and put someone else's money into your account, (had friends that have had this happen), they yank it right back out. If they screw up and charge you some fees you shouldn't have been charged, you have to bring receipts, statements, (even though they should have them) and spend lots of time getting it corrected.
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
It's everyone's fault. Users distrust software because there is a lot of untrustworthy software.
My users do the same. Before I verify a report is accurate, I make them go back and verify the data they entered is correct. Oftentimes, its user error, a missing field, or in my last case, a slight change in business practices, where a field used to be required, but now wasn't, which the report somewhat expected to be there. After they think they've verified the data, I'll go into the database and verify it by hand. Sometimes the report is wrong, but usually it's just displaying something different than what the user expects. 90% user error, 10% system error -- if you don't let anyone report problems, you'll never catch those 10%.
I try to give my users as many reports as possible and encourage them to pull multiple reports and cross-reference themselves. I don't hesitate to add reports, either, since they really take little time to adapt from other reports, even if it is just to help out that 55-year-old sales guy on the third floor that doesn't sell much but everyone likes because he's been there for 20 years. It gets me major kudos (and free lunches) from other staff who see a new report, run it, and realize that they could use it, too. "You're reading my mind, man! You just saved me 3 hours of work a week! How's about some lunch on me?!"
In other words: it's your job, now STFU & GBTW.
My wife is a horse-trainer/lesson-giver. Her students constantly make uninformed claims that the horse was having a bad day, or that the horse was just plain stupid, completely ignoring their own inability to ride.
How many teachers have been blamed by parents for not teaching their kids enough or teaching them poorly and thats why little Johnny isn't passing his standards tests?
What about high ranking political officials who avoid bad-press/prosecution by passing the buck to an underling?
"Blame the [fill_in_blank]" game happens for every industry, for every body. What makes you think this is a IT-only issue?
Trying being an Oracle DBA maintaining databases of testing results and data for engineers that were plagued with Ingres for decades. Every time they screw up a query and get zero results, the call comes in to check something relating to Ingres that Oracle doesn't have or need. Either that or the servers get bogged down because the network group refuses to admit that there might be a problem with the network and that I need to "check my settings". Nevermind that all interfaces are either set to auto-negotiate or forced to maximum performance.
Anyway, I digress.
I have experienced it before and it comes and goes as the people in charge move up the ladder and others take thier places. Often times it can be incredibly difficult to get past it. However, that is one of the challenges of being in IT. Convincing people that the technology isn't the problem is difficult. I think the difficulty lies in the fact that as an IT professional, if you are doing your job correctly, your work should be invisible to the users. They should think that you do nothing all day. If that is the case then you have already done your job effectivly unless they are complaining about something. Then, of course, you have to fix it.
However, users are funny creatures. They will not notice the systems and immerse themselves completely in the computing environment...until something goes wrong. Then it's like The Matrix is skipping a beat and Agent Smith jumps in and gives them the stink eye. Then the phones start ringing and you, you slackass, you ain't doin' nuthin'! Since they never realize the good because it works the way they have come accustomed to it working, problems that boot them out of the environmental warm-fuzzy are glaring. It's not only a work stopage but it's like waking someone up by dumping a bucket of water on thier face. It's jarring to them and leaves as much of an emotional/mental impact as a work stopage leaves a physical impact.
The reaction then becomes more of a fight or flight type deal. A work stopage or less then rosy data results can be devasating to anyone. When these people you are dealing with see thier numbers come up less desireable that expected, the first thing they tend to do is panic. The blame starts flying every which way to get them back to thier non-panic striken happy place.
You will never solve the "blame techonology" problem because it isn't really rooted in a lack of education. It's human nature to find a scapegoat to accept blame to avoid the pain, physical or emotional, of dropping the ball and getting called on it. About the only thing you can do is do you job as best as you can. If they call asking about the reporting program, be professional and calm and work through thier problem with them. Afterall, you know things are OK on your side and things aren't ok on thier side. They don't know that though. They are just trying to follow every path as quickly as possible to find out what is wrong so that they can get a handle on it and maybe put a stop to the downward slide, quickly.
Above all, don't take it personal, you likely do not report to them. If they become unmanagable, refer them to your management and have your manager act as the intermediary. If you are the management then it is your responsibility to find an amiacable solution.
When our software generates erroneous or otherwise false reports, i blame George W Bush.