What do you folks do when you’ve got a problem at work that you just can’t solve despite your best efforts to date. As always, solving it is of the essence and despite the fact that you are not the cause of the problem, the burden of fixing it is firmly on your shoulders and lots of people are depending on you to solve it. In fact lots of managers are calling you hourly for an update.
You can’t pass it off because you are the person they come to with these kinds of problems. You are the inhouse expert. The buck stops here.
I’m at the point where if I don’t find a solution to this very soon, I’ve a feeling that some people are going to think less of me. I just can’t have that. Certainly not from those know nothing sniveling bastards anyway. I don’t mind looking foolish in front of my betters and learning a thing or two while I’m at it. But I’ll be damned if I am going to admit defeat to these nitwits. Besides, there’s the matter of pride…
Actually, one of the best tactics I’ve found for solving something that seems unsolvable is NOT thinking about it for a while – even for only half an hour or so. That little mental break sometimes gives you the perspective you need to see the solution to the problem.
Not always an option, though, when you’ve got dozens of people breathing down your neck.
I once had a database issue that was just kicking my ass. I browsed some different boards, and came across an “expert”. We chatted, and I sent him the database I was having trouble with. He fixed it up, sent it back, and I was saved! Yippie!
We still e-mail each other occassionally, and chat a bit. Problem solved!
It has been my experience that sometimes… once in a great while… there are some problems that just don’t have a solution. I had a similar situation about 2 years ago where I was in charge of getting an internet camera to connect up with one in Texas (I’m in Michigan). After researching and testing and more researching… I found that it was not possible to connect to this camera in Texas because of the type of network they were on. So the answer was that there was no answer. My job then was to convince my boss that this was an acceptable answer (I did. He was actually quite cool about the whole thing.
Thanks for the helpfull offers but it’s a mainframe App problem and not easily given to solution unless you really know the product. It’s quite a monster.
It’s a problem with a program that actully consists of about 50 or so other programs all linked together. They pass data back and fourth to eachother and call each other on a very much conditional/data specific basis. It’s a mess. If I estimate there is a total amount of 300,000 lines of code I would not be exagerating. To make matters worse, my tracing tools simply goes off into space with this transaction whenever I try to trace the CICS and DB2 calls. Very wierd.
Thanks again folks - but really, I was looking more for inspirational kind of thoughts rather than hands on help. I’d be happy to send these 300,000 lines of cobol and assembler code to anybody ambitious enough to comb through it. Trouble is, I don’t think I’ll find anyone crazy enough. Guess that’s why they stuck me with the thing.
Yeah Quicky, you gotta problem alright! 300,000 lines of code, and not a QA guy in sight to pass it off to.
I like one of the earlier suggestions, take a bit of time away from it. I just did this last week, after staring at a problem for hours, went home and it came to me in my speep. I know it’s unlllikely that you’ll wake up with the solution, but a bit of time away is a good idea. The only thing I can suggest related to Cobol is find one of those retired sixty-something guys that appeared last year to work on Y2K issues - those old boys know a thing or two about Cobol. (I forgot my last Cobol lesson 15 years ago).
By the way, I also found on many occasions that talking it through with a competent technical person could help a great deal - helps you work out the logic. Does not even have to be an expert, just someone who understands enoughto ask you questions and make you think through the thing.
Good luck, if you want to bounceee anything off someone let me know. And you are absolutely right, admitting defeat to nitwits is unacceptable.
I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here… but I’M THE COBOL/CICS/DB2 etc… EXPERT! And don’t anybody laugh or I’ll smack ya!!! :mad: It’s not that I don’t understand what’s happening. It’s that I can’t trace the code because my tools are failing due to the size of this monster load module with all it’s umpteen subroutines calls. I’m going to have to test this thing in batch (as opposed to online) and code displays all over the damn place just to get near the problem area. It’s going to take me damn near half a day to zero in on it and I was hoping like hell to avoid that. No help for it I guess… I guess it’s back to the ol’ COBOL 101 debuging strategies. In this day and old methodes are someties still the only methodes. Wish this damn shop had CA-Intertest. I would not be having this conversation now.
Thanks for lending me your ears so that I can piss and moan about it…
Look do you want to do this, cuz if you do, you are welcome to hope on a plane and come down to the east coast and start plugging in displays and setting up batch jobs for this fucking transaction… When should I expect you?!
Hhhmmmmm… I don’t know, I’m kind of busy as it is, but for teh right price I could be persuaded…Now let see,
[Thurston Howell, III]
I only fly first class on these type of assignments, so please arrange the tickets. Also, usually the Marriott is OK for accomodations, but see if there is anything with a little bit higher class of service. You find all sorts of riff-raff in the Marriott these days. Now, for meals, you’ll have to have them flown in from Manhattan, of course. The tailor can come in at 10:00 am sharp, and please, none of that cheap cotton they try to pawn on you these days, you know how those people are. And when I get into the office (the limo should be waiting by 11:00) make sure lunch is ready and hot.
Now, I give no garanty, nor do I make any predictions, about success or failure of the project. I only state that I will be present, for as long as it pleases me, and I will do my darndest to be helpful while not over-exerting myself.
There now, please contact my personal assistant, and make all the arrangements. grphtstprs, On the matter of my fee, we’ll negotiate that on arrival (actually I’ll name it, and that will be that).
