The only way you can consistently delivery rapid release cycles in a project of any size is to have your QA processes automated and repeatable. If you have automated test tools you can quickly turn around releases. But, you have to have the discipline to continually upgrade and improve you testing suite to respond to these quick fix requests.
Basically, if you don't have the tools, you are SOL.
I have worked on both sides of the fence, IT and MIS, but my experience in IT has shown me that most MIS people are clueless morons who couldn't plan their way out of a paper bag. Suddenly their lack of planning is my emergency and their lack of inclusion of IT into their planning forces IT to perform Herculean tasks on miniscule times.
Examples:
"Database Specialist" who designs 15 interlocked Access databases to run the back office of a group, who insists that it is necessary for all input screens to have lizards on them and buttons that say "Okey Dokey" and "No Thanks". Then can't explain how any of them work when the management decides to buy a 3rd party management tool.
Sales group that finds some software that looks cool during the demo approved by their management that won't work on any hardware/OSs currently in use and then has the temerity to go directly to the CEO when the project estimate that comes back from IT is 6 months and the vender says that it takes 2 weeks.
A finance planning and reporting group that has stubbornly not let IT assist in any way because IT "Can't understand what we do". Suddenly crying for help when a new CFO shakes up the group resulting in the departure of 5 of the 6 people who knew anything about what they had. Then IT is expected to, not only, keep the systems running but explain to the CFO how they work and make them more scalable.
Like a previous poster said: "Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for me".
When business people stop looking at IT as an impediment and a drain on corporate finances and start looking at IT as essential for the company to function and as a partner, we would be glad to assist you. Until then, go pound sand.
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Wrote a monitoring suite for an ecommerce site from the reading room waiting to be summoned to sit on a jury. Never was called
And the site is down......... Http/1.1 Service Unavailable It was a nice try though.
Basically, if you don't have the tools, you are SOL.
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Geeks of the world unite!
I have worked on both sides of the fence, IT and MIS, but my experience in IT has shown me that most MIS people are clueless morons who couldn't plan their way out of a paper bag. Suddenly their lack of planning is my emergency and their lack of inclusion of IT into their planning forces IT to perform Herculean tasks on miniscule times.
Examples:
Like a previous poster said: "Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for me".
When business people stop looking at IT as an impediment and a drain on corporate finances and start looking at IT as essential for the company to function and as a partner, we would be glad to assist you. Until then, go pound sand.