Comments on: The Dreaded Root Cause Meeting for the Manager, Part 1 http://midwestitsurvival.com/2009/10/the-dreaded-root-cause-meeting-for-the-manager-part-1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-dreaded-root-cause-meeting-for-the-manager-part-1 Discussion on IT roles in non-Silicon Valley yet tech savvy companies Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:14:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Midwest IT Survival » The Dreaded Root Cause Meeting for the Manager, Part 2 http://midwestitsurvival.com/2009/10/the-dreaded-root-cause-meeting-for-the-manager-part-1/#comment-42 Midwest IT Survival » The Dreaded Root Cause Meeting for the Manager, Part 2 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:10:15 +0000 http://www.midwestitsurvival.com/?p=250#comment-42 [...] of articles look at this challenging exercise from an engineering management perspective with the first article introducing the “80% accurate technique”.  In this article I’ll cover how to interact with [...] [...] of articles look at this challenging exercise from an engineering management perspective with the first article introducing the “80% accurate technique”.  In this article I’ll cover how to interact with [...]

]]> By: Midwest IT Survival » Resource Thrashing http://midwestitsurvival.com/2009/10/the-dreaded-root-cause-meeting-for-the-manager-part-1/#comment-41 Midwest IT Survival » Resource Thrashing Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:50:56 +0000 http://www.midwestitsurvival.com/?p=250#comment-41 [...] is a threshold of total requests at which the system can no longer service all the requests and disasters occur.  As the client request count rapidly approaches this threshold, the application servers continue [...] [...] is a threshold of total requests at which the system can no longer service all the requests and disasters occur.  As the client request count rapidly approaches this threshold, the application servers continue [...]

]]> By: jfbauer http://midwestitsurvival.com/2009/10/the-dreaded-root-cause-meeting-for-the-manager-part-1/#comment-40 jfbauer Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:14:19 +0000 http://www.midwestitsurvival.com/?p=250#comment-40 Enjoyed your humor and agree with you 110% regarding (large) corporate environments. At the same time, and maybe I wasn't clear in my post, in large I environments, one rarely has a complete knowledge or access to all the authoritative knowledge sources to stand completely firm on a particular technical position. From an IT management perspective, as much as you want to trust your team or even the analysis of your rock star that as proven the last 10 out of 10 situations to be completely accurate, you need to be cognizant that you may not have all the facts. Thus, couching your communications to allow for some lack of clarity on your understanding can go a long way to maintain your credibility. Enjoyed your humor and agree with you 110% regarding (large) corporate environments. At the same time, and maybe I wasn’t clear in my post, in large I environments, one rarely has a complete knowledge or access to all the authoritative knowledge sources to stand completely firm on a particular technical position. From an IT management perspective, as much as you want to trust your team or even the analysis of your rock star that as proven the last 10 out of 10 situations to be completely accurate, you need to be cognizant that you may not have all the facts. Thus, couching your communications to allow for some lack of clarity on your understanding can go a long way to maintain your credibility.

]]> By: Pawel Brodzinski http://midwestitsurvival.com/2009/10/the-dreaded-root-cause-meeting-for-the-manager-part-1/#comment-39 Pawel Brodzinski Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:04:21 +0000 http://www.midwestitsurvival.com/?p=250#comment-39 Being 80% accurate is also a technique which your spouse will hate you for. Yes darling, I hope I will be able to pick you up from work today. Yes honey, I should remember our wedding anniversary. OK, enough joking. You say that <i>Rarely, if ever, once put on the defensive, does someone raise their hand and admit “why yes, it was completely my team’s fault, we completely dropped the ball on this one.”</i> and you are pretty much right. But to be honest I don't understand that. I believe that ability to <a href="http://blog.brodzinski.com/2008/02/admit-you-failed.html" rel="nofollow">admit you screwed something up</a> is one of big things in terms of building relationships. Especially relationships with clients. I know it works the other way in corporate environments and it can be used to make you a regular candidate in blame games but that's one of reasons why I hate typical corporate environments. And I know people who learned how corporate politics works and they don't give a damn anymore when they're blamed. Funny thing is this is more a problem of organization than individuals themselves. Being 80% accurate is also a technique which your spouse will hate you for. Yes darling, I hope I will be able to pick you up from work today. Yes honey, I should remember our wedding anniversary.

OK, enough joking. You say that

Rarely, if ever, once put on the defensive, does someone raise their hand and admit “why yes, it was completely my team’s fault, we completely dropped the ball on this one.”

and you are pretty much right. But to be honest I don’t understand that. I believe that ability to admit you screwed something up is one of big things in terms of building relationships. Especially relationships with clients.

I know it works the other way in corporate environments and it can be used to make you a regular candidate in blame games but that’s one of reasons why I hate typical corporate environments. And I know people who learned how corporate politics works and they don’t give a damn anymore when they’re blamed. Funny thing is this is more a problem of organization than individuals themselves.

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