There're quite a few clouds committing suicide here at the moment.
It sounds like god is crying for them.
But I kind of like it.
I'm having some serious sleeping issues.
I cranked out a cool looking web site this morning. I started it at 6am, having been awake all night. I got it done by 9am, in time for presentation at a meeting at 10am.
Since last Friday I can't really remember when I slept. I think for a few hours on Saturday afternoon.
I was churning documenting for a project I'm working on.
I was very pleased with myself. You know, thought I was a bit of a hero, etc. I thought the quality and utility of what I'd acheived was very high. All told it took me about three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'd guess at least 50 hours, and about 30 cans of cola and 7 coffees (coincidence? :).
Meh. Just another day at the office.
I came up with a basic XML schema (about 30 entity types) for describing business documents for the sake of 'documentation'. I wrote an XSL transform (1153 lines) that converted those documents to XHTML. I created a CSS file (179 lines) that formated them in a clear fashion, and that inserted page breaks appropriately for printing, etc. I wrote a quick application (205 lines) for generating HTML files from the XML / XSL for testing. I created an EditPlus auto-completion file (708 lines) for generating fragments of the XML schema I'm using. I created a template XML document (108 lines). I wrote a quick application (288 lines) that pulled some basic data out of a table in a database for automatic creation of the XML files from the template if they didn't exist, and that updated some aspects of the XML data with any modifications made to the data in the database. I documented the purpose and general information regarding about 60 discrete documents involved in complex business process. I manually fleshed out the gory details of permissions, data and various miscellaneous information for about 20 of these documents in EditPlus, they're typically 5 to 10 pages when printed, these accounted for the bulk of my time. I wrote a 15 page cover letter explaining how documents such as Files, Forms, Queries, Notifications, Publications and Reports worked within the system, from the point of view of high-level business process and explained the format of the documentation I provided. I printed out and categorised all 60 documents, comprising nearly half a ream of paper and put them in a big 3-ring binder so that we'd have a useful communication tool in future meetings. I created the basic layout of a password protected web site and deployed it on my web server. I arranged server side include files (140 lines), javascript (20 lines), graphics and css (161 lines) to create a pleasing, simple yet effective web site with a drop down navigation bar (11 nodes), side bar (6 links), technology agnostic urls, etc. I created some wrapper documents to dump directory listings of the XML documention files (which render as XHTML in a web browser capable of processing the XSL) in iframes in suitable categories. I created a batch file (19 lines) to deploy the web site along with the latest documentation from my workstation (where the head revision of the documentation which is kept in source control lives) to the web site which is on an untrusted network, and put a shortcut to said batch file on my desktop so I could deploy and test quickly as I worked through niggling issues. I created an Access data project and simple report to list all business documents and their basic function (5 printed pages). All told I prepared about 250 discrete artefacts and pretty much just invented a workable framework and documentation/communication process for future discussion. I probably did a host of other things that have slipped my mind or are only small, like updating my FreeBSD DNS server with a dummy host, labelling folder inserts, configuring networked printers, reading printouts, hole punching and stapling documents, etc.
I've seen Computer Associates and IBM bill $200 / hour per consultant for a team of old blokes to spend months generating less content with less utility. I wonder if my client is even going to get billed for my hours.
So anway, what did you do on the weekend?
I did all that because at the status meeting last week we fielded a complaint about project visibility. Complaints about 'deadlines' that are apparently slipping (baseless, fictional, unrealistic, unstated, and uninformed as they may be).
During the week we committed to providing a better framework for ongoing discussion about business requirements. Something to speak to. Something to refer to for 'milestoning'. We've really been relying on evolutionary prototyping and face-to-face discussions to date, supplemented with miscellaneous email and notepad documentation. We have maintained an up to date Entity Relationship diagram, but evidently our client doesn't understand what use 120 pages of boxes and lines mean. Nor do they seem to be able to grasp, or be comfortable with a 'business tier'. If it's not a 'screen' then apparently, as far as they're concerned, it doesn't exist. I've tried little words. I've tried simple pictures. We've rushed into screen design before in an attempt to apease them, and been pretty badly burnt. Thus the documntation effort. To describe the 'screens' in a format that is accessible and useful for discussion about the business tier.
So we delivered our doco and our web site this morning.
The reception it got?
“It looks like you're wasting your time.”
Yeah.
Thanks.
I took the day off.
I went shopping.
I got two new books.
Been reading them.
I need sleep.
Badly.
> (Insert mondo cool stuff).
Sounds really cool!
> So anway, what did you do on the weekend?
* Lifted weights; did some running. Groaned a bit about being sore.
* Played about 3 hours of Everquest II.
* Put up Christmas lights on the house, and put up and decorated a Christmas tree (mostly watched other people do that... :) ).
* Celebrated some Hanukkah.
* Watched Elf (decent flick...Will Ferrell is typically funny).
* Watched an episode of Cowboy Bebop.
* Misc. personal stuff (journaling, GTD weekly review, etc.).
* Watched the Vikings lose to Seattle over at a friend's house. Dragged over rugrats to play with other rugrats during the game. Drank a couple beers.
* Surfed the web a bit.
* Did ~4 hours solid work on the project du jour.
* Took some books down to the donate-books-to-Guatemalan-children thing.
* Watched the kids' Christmas program.
* Picked up a birthday card and present, and some stuff for the crafts for next week's Girl Scouts meeting.
* Cleaned house a bit.
* Read a bit of book (Shogun and Internet Texas Hold'Em).
Balance, man, balance. I'm not sure whose weekend was more enjoyable, but...do remember that "they" are not going to care if you kill yourself for them. All the other people in your life might, though :).
Sounds very balanced. And lots of fun!
...although, I like to think of myself as a bit of an extremist... :)
I think of you as an extremist too :)