Time Is Money (part 2) - The Number Game (
Page 6 of 11 )
Yes, I know that was a little complicated, but you have to admit it
works like a charm. One of the major battles is now behind us, with one still
ahead - report generation.
Before I start writing code, I'd like to spend
a little time analyzing the problem ahead. First, there are innumerable types of
reports possible with the data available to us. Numbers can be massaged and
interpreted in different ways to produce different conclusions (as Disraeli
famously said, "there are lies, damned lies and statistics") and so it's
essential (especially since I'm running out of time) to identify which types of
reports are most useful, and concentrate my efforts on those.
In order to
get a better feel for the problem, I decide to turn to the Boss for help. After
all, he runs a company too - surely he'll have some idea of the kind of data
that would be most helpful in making business decisions on resource allocation
and usage. And he does...
"Well, lemme see," he drawls, spinning in his
swivel chair to look out of the window. "The most important thing, in my
opinion, would be to see the amount of time spent on the different tasks within
a project. I'd find it very useful to know, for example, how much time you spend
on code design and development, versus the amount of time the System Test people
take to test your code. If I can break up a project into tasks and attach a
dollar value to the hours spent on each task, I can then calculate the total
time and money spent on the project, compare it with the revenue earned, and
find out if we're actually making any money!" (this last accompanied with a fist
slamming down on the table.)
"Next, " he continues, calming down a
little, "I want to see a breakdown of hours spent on a project by user, so that
I know who's pulling the weight and who's slacking off. I notice that you, for
example, spend an inordinate amount of time at lunch - I'd be very curious to
see how those hours are logged."
So he's been keeping tabs on me, huh?
Gotta wonder how this guy has time to manage a company, given the amount of time
he spends keeping track of employee lunch hours...
But the Boss is just
warming up.
"And, since I've also happened to notice that this company's
output drops dramatically every time I have to go out of town, I'd very much
like the ability to see a big-picture overview for a specific period of time -
this should show me the time spent on *all* our active customers, broken down by
user and task. And you know something - I bet that if I compare that data for
the weeks I'm in the office and the weeks I'm out of town, I'd be able to draw
some interesting conclusions," smirking away like he's just thought of something
funny.
Right. I've just about had enough of this guy. So I do the only
thing that occurs to me - I stand up, walk around the desk, tip his swivel chair
backwards and, as he flaps around helplessly on the floor, turn on my heel, and
stride through the door with my long black coat flowing behind me like a
cape...
/ 4 
