Group Efforts 21

Group Efforts
The Diary of a Workgroup Manager

Episode 11 (1995)

The Biggie disappears, the fallout continues, and the beard and glasses classes fall over themselves to help.

Fri 4th
The fallout from Brison's departure continues. The Dorking Biggie contract has vanished into thin air, the MD having apparently played an extra-long round of golf with the chairman of our main competitor, during which Something Was Worked Out. A new Finance Director has already been appointed - he's Tim Costello, a rising star from the insurance world. Llewellyn, surprisingly, is still here, having been humiliatingly dubbed a 'mere pawn' by the workstation copying inquiry, much to everyone's mirth when Sandra from admin accidentally let it slip in the canteen. A temp's Save As error caused 19 pages of Taplow cost projections to disappear with the rental PCs, but we're not making a fuss over it and June is quietly retyping them on overtime. Danny claims to have seen Brison signing on at the local DSS office, but nobody believes him, although many would like to.

Tues 8th
Our first management meeting with the new FD. Llewellyn sits ashen-faced as Costello voices concern about our I.T. spend and expresses his opposition to ever more technology for the sake of it. George Barker issues a heartfelt 'hear hear', but the rest of us feel too sorry for Llewellyn to put the boot in. Back at the ranch I discover that we need some more technology fairly urgently - Rose's keyboard is refusing to register the £ symbol, a serious shortcoming in our line of business. To my amazement I.T., who normally quote two weeks in such cases, are round in a flash with a replacement - in fact two of them, carried by two techies who almost come to blows over who gets to fit the new one. The loser polishes Rose's screen with an anti-static wipe. We all look on, speechless.

Wed 16th
The news is out - the company's I.T. budget is being cut back and there are going to be actual redundancies among the beard-and-glasses classes. A petrified Amrat asks if I'll put in a good word for him, which I readily agree to do, although in truth I can't see what influence I can have. I can however influence Cathy and Danny to stop singing 'Buddy can you spare me a dime?' whenever the poor lad appears, reminding Cathy that she's supposed to set an example to her less mature colleagues. Llewellyn isn't answering his email (although it's rumoured he answers the ones marked 'from T. Costello' pretty smartish), so I make a note to mention it at the next management meeting. Last week's installers arrive to give Rose's new keyboard a user satisfaction check, and she tells them to push off.

Thurs 24th
Unexpectedly I find that I may have some I.T. influence after all. Costello calls me in for a chat (significantly, sans Llewellyn) about the peer-to-peer project, wanting to know whether it's a complete waste of time or if there's something in it. I surprise myself by saying that there is, citing our user-installed CD-ROM as an example of its easy flexibility. Costello then surprises me by grinning and saying that he's got Cinemania at home and have I tried Encarta yet, at which point I move him up ten notches in my right-stuff ratings. The upshot is that the project will continue. I'm about to mention Amrat's sterling contributions when Costello says that Amrat's made a sterling contribution and seems well worth keeping on. I agree emphatically, and withdraw.

Fri 25th
Our old, tired LaserJet II finally gives up the ghost, but that's not a problem since in the new Glasnost climate we can have our youthful LaserJet 4 connected to the NetWare server instead; Amrat leads the charge of I.T. hopefuls and has it working in under ten minutes. He then offers to install 600 dpi drivers on everyone's PCs, which we allow him to do. Danny asks if he can have a permanent swapfile, and Amrat fixes that too. He also reroutes Sheila's network cable so that it doesn't keep catching on her heels, by which time Cathy, Rose and June want permanent swapfiles as well, all of which he arranges. June is about to send him out for the Mars bars when I call him in and give him the good news about the peer-to-peer project. He thanks me profusely, but being a modest type I tell him not to mention it.