Can you care too much?
I think I do sometimes and I'm not sure it's a good thing. Hmm how can caring less be good?
Well it's not about caring less it's about caring enough for your stakeholders isn't it?
Caring too much has got me in hot water, how so? Well there are times when there I things which I think could make the software better, much better, I care a lot about what I'm doing. Why could this get me in hot water?, because I'm not the gateholder of quality or gateholder of anything. Making these types of decisions are up to stakeholders.
I could bang on about something that I feel isn't right with the software I'm testing (I do sometimes), and sometimes I have to let it go - after being raised, there are stakeholders commercial decisions to be made and the thing I'm highlighting may be small in the grand scheme of things. It's hard letting go isn't it?, it's hard knowing an issue that you feel strongly about is not going to be fixed...How do you deal with that? Well is it more about caring about the wrong things rather than caring too much?
I remember an article James Bach did (I think it was nearly 10 years ago now) where he mentions good enough testing, like you can't test everything but does this also mean good enough caring? (I really wish I could have a heated debate with James Bach rather that promoting his stuff all the time - How about threads? - a Digression)
So, If you get 'in tune' with your stakeholders, Is good enough testing also good enough caring? Is it that the same thing?
I now think that if I feel I'm caring too much, it may be time to re-evaluate my testing. (is my feeling of caring too much a rumble strip?) Are my perceptions correct? Have I understood things properly? Has my thinking misaligned to my stakeholders? Am I focusing too much? Spending too much time on one thing?
Are you caring too much? How do you deal with that? Are you doing good enough caring?
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
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Nice post. I think you answered your own question already with the list of questions, for example "Are my perceptions correct? Have I understood things correctly?"
ReplyDeleteIf there's a misalignment of the perceived importance of a bug or issue in the software it means there's a problem with the relationship. As Michael Bolton pointed out, a bug is a relationship between the software and a person. So if you change the person you have a different relationship.
It could either mean that your PM or developer doesn't have enough information about the implications of a bug.
Or it could mean that you don't have enough information about the importance of the bug in the big picture of the project.
Which one it is can really only be found out through discussion of the facts which will remove the emotional part (I care) of the discussion and will leave either one or both parties with more information.
Yes I care too much. I report all kinds of issues that the end user would encounter, some a little ugly and some a lot ugly. My prior company would have fixed and moved on, but not this place. My current employer has many great qualities and I truly do love my job & have no desire to leave them as there are many "pro's" here, but I get very discouraged when I point out errors and repeatedly they are closed or told to wait for the customer to report it. I guess I don't deal very well with it. I temporarily lower my expectations, but before I know it, I have raised them again and set myself up for disappointment. I truly do have a great manager and upper management; they are flexible, don't mind training me on new systems and open to new ideas (may not implement my ideas, but they do listen). I feel that their strength is just not what my strength is. Hope that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I think you're right.
I think what I'm trying to say is if I'm thinking I'm caring too much then maybe it is time for me to re-evaluate.(am I caring about the wrong things) Whether that may be questioning what I'm doing or evaluating communication /or implications. There can be multi-relationships and multi-stakeholders and multi changes of views which at times could be tricky.
It can also be tricky if engrossed in one testing thread...
Peter
I definitely care to much, sometimes. Let me define that: Caring too much means making a poor investment with your energy. It maybe a poor investment because it's pouring too much into a project, or because there is a low probability of a good return.
ReplyDeleteI want to do good work. Sometimes I have a client who doesn't want my good work. I'm careful to leave a project when I detect a mismatch between my level of commitment to excellence and my client's.
@ruth Hi, Thanks for the comment. I think understand what your saying and it does make sense to me. I'm wondering however if what you're describing is similar to what James has described as a 'mismatch between his level of commitment to excellent and his clients'.
ReplyDelete@James Hi, Thanks for the comment, and for your definition of what you mean by 'caring to much', I think that's what I was trying to describe. Can you expand on what you mean by 'pouring too much into a project'? How do you know it's 'too much'? Also do you mean that there is already a low probability of a 'good return' before you invest the time? Or that only after you have invested the time do you realize that there may have been a low probability of a good return? Also what do you mean by a 'good return'? Good return for you? project? software? stakeholder(s)? all?
What about a level of commitment to excellence in providing a service to stakeholders? Is that different?
Peter