Is it just me?

[El_Squid]

Okay, is it just me, or are vendors starting to get too touchy, feely about things? I am involved in a couple of major software projects to varying degrees, and it seems like our status meetings are drifting way too far to the "happy team-building" side of the spectrum. Way too much time involved in socializing and team activities, which I am truly not interested in. Tell me what you need from me and cut me loose.

I want to get the project finished, successfully and on time (well, close to no time and not too far over budget), not build a personal relationships. Then again, maybe I'm just an old curmudgeon.

[slgrieb]

Well, funny you should ask! I'm sitting here installing updates for W7 RC1, and the update for MS Intellipoint keyboard software just asked me if I wanted to join the Customer Experience Improvement Program, which would monitor my keyboard usage to see what features of my keyboard software get used the most, etc.

Kiss a fat man's hairy bottom!! It's a KEYBOARD for cryin' out loud! Hey! Microsoft! I like the Calculator key.

Yes, I do think there is a tendency in business today for folks to put too much emphasis on the "social" aspect of business, just like they worry that Western Civilization will fall if they can't check their email for 4 hours, or Twitter is offline for a day. It's easy to get more involved in the minutiae of "supporting" the mission rather than just accomplishing it.

I'm certainly not a fan of the "My Way Or The Highway" school of management, but I think once a goal has been set and a plan established, real professionals should work toward it without constant reassurance from management and co-workers.

[Guts3d]

if they can't check their email for 4 hours...


Horrors! If our E-mail goes down for a few minutes ( Even when we send out 10 warnings telling them that there will be a PLANNED outage while we update the servers ) they go nuts. Microsoft® Kumbaya is needed, along with a virtual campfire.

[Niclo Iste]

You're all grumpy old men! You should embrace this new form of bonding with vendors and rejoice......

OK, not really I am just kidding. However I agree with you. I'm there to do business and not looking for a long term meaningful romance. However I won't decline if they want to buy me a bottle of good scotch.

P.S.
Too bad they don't have this kind of bonding in the RMA departments.

[slgrieb]

You're all grumpy old men! You should embrace this new form of bonding with vendors and rejoice......

OK, not really I am just kidding. However I agree with you. I'm there to do business and not looking for a long term meaningful romance. However I won't decline if they want to buy me a bottle of good scotch.

P.S.
Too bad they don't have this kind of bonding in the RMA departments.

No, young Padawan! To the Dark Side that path leads. Yes. First the Scotch, then they want you to watch Sleepless in Seatle with them.

[Niclo Iste]

Hmmm, but it's scotch! With enough scotch I can sleep through any movie! Though I don't think there is enough scotch out there to get me to sit in the same room that Twilight is playing in.

[El_Squid]

Ah, it is so reassuring to know I'm not alone on this. Had the most unproductive, mind-numbingly boring "kick-off meeting" for a project ever. We had a ginormous screen moved into a room, which displayed a power point presentation, remoted in through a lap top, which the vendor proceeded to read to us (mostly) over the speaker phone, on a conference call. The rest of it was consumed by the "introductions" and pointless fishing for "questions".

Two hours of my life were thusly wasted, never to be recaptured. Never mind that of one of our VPs, the CIO, my supervisor, two of our network admins and one person each from Finacial Services and HR. The Director of HR escaped because she was otherwise occupied with a Board Status Update.

I swear I heard the members of their team hanging up, one by one.