Group Efforts 21

Group Efforts
The Diary of a Workgroup Manager

Episode 16 (1995)

Our hero is invited out, things become impossible and George reveals the truth.

Tuesday 4th
I've received an invitation to dinner from a colleague, not the sort of thing that normally goes on around here. The colleague is however Chris Llewellyn and the guests are all line managers, so it's easy to guess his real motives. Nevertheless we're still a bit taken aback to find a functioning three-machine network installed in his living room, and a Microsoft salesman on hand to demonstrate the integrated wonders of the Office suite. Andy quips that Llewellyn must come round to his house some time for a quick-setting sealant demo. Llewellyn smiles thinly and says the idea is to promote user choice. The OLE 2 bit crashes, but apparently it won't under Windows 95 so that's all right. Feeling slightly used myself, I thank Mrs. Llewellyn for a lovely meal and join the gang for a quick last orders in the nearby Crooked Man.

Thursday 13th
A truly terrible day. We're already behind on the Marlow contract, June's off sick, and the network's giving random 'device unavailable' errors. I call Amrat the Server Surgeon, who says it's probably just a transient dropout fault and to check all my connectors. Rose loses half an hour's work in a document save lockup, and I call Amrat again and tell him to get his backside over here smartish. He begins by deleting copies of networked Doom from Danny and Cathy's machines, causing Danny to call him a complete stiff and Cathy to threaten Danny with loss of manhood if he ever touches her PC again. After half an hour Amrat says it's definitely a transient dropout fault, and leaves. Ten minutes later Rose loses another document. Saved by the bell, I make a dash for the car park.

Wednesday 19th
Llewellyn livens up an otherwise dull management meeting by formally announcing the Windows 95 implementation plan. We're all going to get it, although he can't say when because Microsoft haven't finalised the release date yet, and he can't say in what order because there are still some networking issues to be resolved. Asked if he can give us any more details, he replies not at this point in time. There will, however, be a series of familiarisation sessions led by Colin Smiles, the newly-appointed Windows 95 Training Manager, with hands-on demonstrations by lead beta-tester George Barker. We all look in amazement at George, who betrays not a flicker of emotion. Andy, unwilling to write his old friend off, remains convinced that he's biding his time for a lethal strike, but I'm beginning to think he's really gone over.

Monday 24th
Things are becoming impossible. Marlow is slipping badly, Schedule Plus rules my life, and the network fault has become decidedly non-transient, with June threatening to go sick again if I don't sort it out. I email Llewellyn in strong terms, and a slightly sheepish Amrat appears, checks the server and diagnoses a disk controller fault. As the machine is four years old and very tired, I suggest they install a new one. Amrat mysteriously replies that it might not be worth it, and orders a new controller. Discovering that I'm double-booked for 3pm in a Marlow crisis meeting with Cathy and my annual performance review with Costello, I make an executive decision and reinstate the desk diary. It's a setback for peer technology, but I feel much better.

Thursday 27th
On an evening session in Peg's, George finally reveals the truth behind his born-again enthusiasm for computers. After the Server Postmortem, Costello took him aside, told him that he didn't want Llewellyn to hear this, but that line managers really had get to grips with I.T. and if George couldn't, then it would ultimately mean curtains for him. Windows 95 was an excellent chance to get ahead of the game, and Costello would help him in any way he could. Faced with the inevitable, George had got stuck in, and to his amazement was actually beginning to find them quite gripping. As he readily admits, his reaction to one of Brison's 'finger out' verballings would have been two fingers and goodbye, but Costello's tact has saved his career. Still open-mouthed with surprise, Andy and I agree, and call to Peg for an urgent refreshment update.