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System  -  Author's Projects 2
Author (of AZMAT System)

Continued . . . .

3.  That kind of user appreciation and loyalty simply can not be bought; it is earned by hard work and by giving users what they want.  It is the system developer's job to anticipate and visualise what the users would want from a system, and then develop a system that is capable of doing just that. 

When designing a system, the author has always found it is easier to understand users' requirements by putting himself in a typical user's position and by imagining what could happen in almost every conceivable situation.   He then proceeded with the development of the system and ensured that all those ideas were incorporated within the system. 

He is generally asked to commence work as Excel Consultant on a project when the clients realise that they really do need external help with the project.  Since the project really should have been completed several months ago, time becomes a precious commodity as any further delay directly translates into several hundred thousand pounds loss, mostly.  Consequently, in order to ensure that the project is completed as soon as it is physically possible, the author is asked to work long hours.  Even on new projects, development time is crucial; the company can generate extra profits if the new system is available as soon as possible. 

Whenever discussing a new project with a client, the author quickly assesses various aspects of the project in his head.  If he can do the project, he convinces the client that he can provide the answer to their problems; he has plenty of previous working solutions to back up his claim.  He never promises more than he can deliver and does not mince his words.  While developing a system, he has not yet come across a problem which he could not solve in Excel. 

However, he expects complete control of the technical aspects of the project; his view is simply that he is being hired for his technical expertise and his ability to provide a working system.  Once he begins work on a project, the clients are rest assured that the project will be completed as soon as possible.  However, he does not compromise the accuracy or any technical aspects of the system design just to complete the project quickly.  He also expects complete trust from the client; he has never once betrayed that trust.  On most projects he has worked regularly 12 to 15 hours per day, seven days a week, for several weeks at a time.  In order to work such long hours, you have to be both physically fit and mentally alert; it requires strict discipline affecting your whole way of life, and strict management of your time

4.  In one instance he worked 12 to 15 hours per day, seven days a week for seven successive weeks - developing very detailed risk management systems for an organisation with offices all over the world.  The senior management of that company really needed the systems as soon as it was physically possible. 

Before he started work on that project, he was told that the company had a computer system which daily produced about 200 mm thick printed report of the company's dealing position as late as 4.30p.m. the following day.  Then someone had to look through that huge printed report to extract the required information manually and then present it to the senior management.  Thus the company was always one whole day behind with the dealing positions; a situation that could be very costly in turbulent markets. 

After asking a few questions about their business, he told them 15 minutes later that he could develop a system which would provide the company's dealing positions which would be only 30 seconds late.  He envisaged that that report would be constantly updated on the computer screens of senior management as the day went by.  After seven weeks' almost non-stop work his system reported figures for dealing positions that were only 20 seconds late; that was a huge improvement on their old system which was giving them information almost a whole day late.  The new system meant that the company could take hedging positions, as and when required. 

5.  At another company there was a system developed by internal staff, which produced a detailed daily report that took 18 minutes.  The senior management were fairly concerned about the time the report was taking; in the financial field 18 minutes can make a difference between profit and loss amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds.  The senior manager was under great pressure to find a solution quickly. 

The author was working on a different project at the time but had complete autonomy as far as work was concerned.  He wanted to do what he could to help the senior manager.   The author decided to look at the programming code for that report, and within 15 minutes came up with a solution that he estimated would cut the report time from 18 minutes to 3 minutes.  He also estimated the development time for his new report program would be about two 10-hour days.  For several years that company had been using that report and it had always taken 18 minutes. 

When the author approached the senior manager and told him that he (the author) could write a program that would produce the same report in 3 minutes, there was total disbelief.  That program was being used in all the offices of that company all over the world for several years and it had always taken 18 minutes.  Although the senior manager was aware of the author's experience, he wanted to know in detail how the author could write a program in two 10-hour days that would produce their report in just 3 minutes.  When the author explained, the senior manager agreed that yes it was feasible and gave the go-ahead for the work.  The author was going to employ techniques and ideas which he had developed himself and perfected over the years.  

That conversation took place late on a Friday afternoon; at that time he had no plans to work that weekend.  The author did work on both Saturday and Sunday; thus the programming work for that report did not interfere with his main project.  On Monday morning he had the report program ready; the new report took 2 minutes and 45 seconds. 

Continued . . . .


System  -  Author's Projects 2

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