Thursday, February 03, 2011

On the eve of the big deploy

I have read, and damn near committed to memory, just over 600 pages of business requirements documentation.

60 pages of it seven times, due to “one last” change being made to it by the business team.

I have received 1,400-and-a-handful emails about it.

And written about 300 replies.

Plus over 6,300 lines of testing code.

I believe I have written more code to test this thing than was needed to, you know, make with the magic.

I have sat through a lifetime and a half of meetings.

A lifetime of which had nothing whatsoever to do with anything to do with my part of the project.

And naturally, not been invited to the scant handful that I really ought to have been around for.

In the name of getting it right, I have made so great a nuisance of myself to the business analysts, partners and development team that it is a wonder they are still speaking to me.

Fortunately, I can make scones. This, I find, goes a long, long way toward making people forgive you for sidling up to them going, “Yeah, uh, about this field? Should be a varchar. You’ve got an int. Oh. And you’re missing a source. Oh, also…?” fifteen times a day for two months.

Found three more bugs today.

Was not amused.

Thought about not reporting them.

Because, you know…really? The night before freeze? Really?!

Got a little (well, more than a little) irritated that nobody else had, because come ON, people…have you, or have you not, likewise been testing what we’re sending you…?

Realized that most probably, my irritability had more to do with a climbing fever than actual irritation.

…by golly, 102.7 and rising, yeah, that’ll make ya pissy all right…

Dosed up.

Dug back in.

Tomorrow? There’s a go-no-go meeting.

I do not appear to be invited to it.

So I don’t know when it is being held.

Chances that I’m going to get an !!!!EMERGENCY!!!! phone call at some weird, random time tomorrow morning or night to dial in, Now!!!!!, to explain something?

Extremely. High.

Chances that this is situation normal?

100%, kids.

Either way, we’ve gotten through it. Whether we go or not, we got through this psycho period.

I think we did good.

And I further think…that I am going to bed.

This haul has been long, and it isn’t over yet.

I’m looking forward to the end of tomorrow, and a return to (what passes for) sanity around here…

…where I have the flu, and Captain Adventure has a sinus infection, and the girls have been cycling in and out of school like it had a revolving door all week…

5 comments:

PipneyJane said...

Fingers crossed it all goes OK.

Get better soon, Tama (ditto for the rest of the family).

- Pam

PBear said...

wow, if I didn't know better I'd swear you work at my company... :-)

And my son has a sinus infection too, and has been howling about how he just wants it to GO AWAY AND STOP COUGHING. But not before he gave something to me....

Hope the implementation goes well and you get to feeling better soon!

Louiz said...

Hope it all goes well. And that the various infections and sicknesses get better, pdq.

buffi said...

Oooooh! Hope it all went well and that all the little Denizens and Mama are feeling better.

Also, please keep your germs on THAT side of the country because we are finally all NOT deathly ill here for the moment and I'd like to savor that particular experience for as long as possible. Thankyouverymuch.

Anonymous said...

I've been following your blog for a few years and enjoying it immensely. I am a software tester in Canada and boy can I relate to what you're saying! 15 years of harping at a project team about what I need to get the job done, and they still don't get it! Hope all goes better for you and your family this week.