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From: kevinf@cognos.uucp (Kevin Ferguson)
Newsgroups: rec.humor,rec.humor.d,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Looking for Computer Folklore
Summary: Red Faces Everywhere
Message-ID: <5289@Elvis.UUCP>
Date: 15 Feb 89 16:45:57 GMT
References: <2774@rti.UUCP> <2481@cuuxb.ATT.COM> <9576@ihlpb.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: kevinf@cognos.UUCP (Kevin Ferguson)
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 30
Disclaimer: So help me God, this is the absolute truth. 
            I should know, because I was there.

Many moons ago (1982), I was on contract as a P/A to one of those credit card
companies that shall remain nameless. I was attached to the project that was
completely rewriting the billing process. The approved implementation included
a massive number of database tables that the Credit Department would maintain
to control thier billing cycles, appearance of the statement for different 
types of customers, interest charge calculation, and so on, ad nauseam. 

Well, as the project trundled on toward completion, the end user became aware
of the manpower effort that would be required to initialize all of these tables.
(In retrospect, their reaction was really quite excessive.) Our illustrious 
Project Manager said at the time, "No problem. We'll just promote the TestBed
environment." I'm sure that you can imagine our reaction, as the mischevious
minds of programmers tend to generate humourous testing environments.

Sure enough, despite all of the programmers and testers objections, the TestBed
environment was promoted to Production "... with those changes that are deemed
necessary by the Credit Department." Apparently, they did not catch all of the
"necessary changes" because in the first week, the Credit Department mailed 
1,500 statements to delinquent customers with the Reminder Notice: "Pay up, or
we'll rape your wife."

Judging by the memo that was distributed to the MIS Department following this
debacle, the rest of the organization failed to see the humour in this.
----
"Don't Worry. Be Happy."
-- 
Kevin Ferguson            FAX: (613) 738-0002       S-mail: P.O. Box 9707
Cognos Incorporated     Voice: (613) 738-1338 x5203         3755 Riverside Drive
UUCP: kevinf@cognos.UUCP | uunet!mitel!sce!cognos!kevinf    Ottawa, Ontario
ICBM: 45 21N  75 41W  375'ASL                               CANADA  K1G 3Z4