Tweet
Background: The organization I do IT for uses a large, awkward program that does just about everything the organization needs--including interfacing with the federal government. It is currently the only program of its kind on the market to make it out of beta, so we just about have to use it, or else do everything by hand and fax it in. I'm not a fan of a lot of the design choices made on the program, as it seems like no one considered that an end-user is going to have to actually use it at some point. I'll call it VAP (Very Awkward Program) for short.
I have a user that may be slowly going crazy on us. She seems to think someone is targeting her. She is convinced someone is going in and removing her work after she puts it in. She also says someone is changing the settings on her computer.
The problem is, the way VAP is set up, the changes she makes affect one of the main database tables. Even my Boss and I, having full system control, can't touch those tables. Anything that goes wrong in there has to go through the company that made the program, because those tables touch everything in the program. One small mistake and the system is corrupt--one of the many reasons we back it up as often as possible. Worst-come-worst, we only lose two days of work, max.
So, yeah. It is very unlikely anyone at the company that made VAP has a personal vendetta against crazy user, or would risk a very obvious modification that would hose the entire database structure just to get rid of her work. A more likely scenario would be she isn't hitting the "save" button after entering the changes, so it doesn't apply them to the databases. She "forgets" her training quite often, and we've had to troubleshoot her files a fair bit to figure out why her files aren't being accepted.
But you can't tell her that. It has actually reached the point where even her coworkers beg me not to tell her I've been around to run updates on her computer if she isn't there when I come by. Apparently she rants if she notices anything on her desk is changed, so I have to be careful not to move anything on the desk. Boss and I actually roll our eyes at each other accross the hall when we see her name come up on an incomming call. Boss is documenting the odd behavior with HR, but lord knows how that will work out.
The situation is just getting annoying right now. It is just Boss and myself over 100 computer seats, the cell phone fleet for the maintenance guys which is getting upgraded, all the servers and network equipment, a dozen remote sites between five and fifty minutes drive away, and the CEO of the organization that doesn't understand that we need time to plan and wire a new remote site (he decided to open three more on two days notice.). Oh, and we're not allowed overtime, which means I can only work my base eight hours per day, so Boss often works late. We're both losing patience with nutcase user's antics.
I have a user that may be slowly going crazy on us. She seems to think someone is targeting her. She is convinced someone is going in and removing her work after she puts it in. She also says someone is changing the settings on her computer.
The problem is, the way VAP is set up, the changes she makes affect one of the main database tables. Even my Boss and I, having full system control, can't touch those tables. Anything that goes wrong in there has to go through the company that made the program, because those tables touch everything in the program. One small mistake and the system is corrupt--one of the many reasons we back it up as often as possible. Worst-come-worst, we only lose two days of work, max.
So, yeah. It is very unlikely anyone at the company that made VAP has a personal vendetta against crazy user, or would risk a very obvious modification that would hose the entire database structure just to get rid of her work. A more likely scenario would be she isn't hitting the "save" button after entering the changes, so it doesn't apply them to the databases. She "forgets" her training quite often, and we've had to troubleshoot her files a fair bit to figure out why her files aren't being accepted.
But you can't tell her that. It has actually reached the point where even her coworkers beg me not to tell her I've been around to run updates on her computer if she isn't there when I come by. Apparently she rants if she notices anything on her desk is changed, so I have to be careful not to move anything on the desk. Boss and I actually roll our eyes at each other accross the hall when we see her name come up on an incomming call. Boss is documenting the odd behavior with HR, but lord knows how that will work out.
The situation is just getting annoying right now. It is just Boss and myself over 100 computer seats, the cell phone fleet for the maintenance guys which is getting upgraded, all the servers and network equipment, a dozen remote sites between five and fifty minutes drive away, and the CEO of the organization that doesn't understand that we need time to plan and wire a new remote site (he decided to open three more on two days notice.). Oh, and we're not allowed overtime, which means I can only work my base eight hours per day, so Boss often works late. We're both losing patience with nutcase user's antics.
Comment