sarettah
01-04-2005, 03:01 PM
Little snippets of actual discussions I have been involved in...........
client: So, when will the program be done ?
me: Define done.
client: It's a simple program, shouldn't be more than an hour.
me: So, why haven't you written it yet.
client: Ok, programming is 100 an hour, design work 125 an hour, data entry is 500 an hour ???? Why so high on data entry?
me: I don't like data entry.
me: Ok, so what does this interface look like?
client: I don't know.
two weeks and 30 hours worth of work later...
me: Ok, this is what I worked up, what do you think ?
client: That's not what it should look like, it should look like this (and pulls out a screen shot of a webpage they saw that they liked)
client: 500 hours ? Ok, Can you have it done by next week.
me: It will take about 1000 hours, so with one programmer on it it should be close to a year.
client: Hmm, that sounds high. Do we really have to have that documentation and training and the testing part ?
client: Can you install the internet on my computer for me ?
me: Sure, but I think you're gonna need a bigger disk.
me: Tell me a little about the project.
client: If I think it I want it to do it.
me: Ok, that will take me about 1000 years.
me: Ok, if you want to hold that much data we're gonna need a database system.
client: Why do I have to buy a database program ? Can't you do it in word ?
me: It should be about two weeks.
enlightened client: Define two weeks.
client: So, when will the program be done ?
me: Define done.
client: It's a simple program, shouldn't be more than an hour.
me: So, why haven't you written it yet.
client: Ok, programming is 100 an hour, design work 125 an hour, data entry is 500 an hour ???? Why so high on data entry?
me: I don't like data entry.
me: Ok, so what does this interface look like?
client: I don't know.
two weeks and 30 hours worth of work later...
me: Ok, this is what I worked up, what do you think ?
client: That's not what it should look like, it should look like this (and pulls out a screen shot of a webpage they saw that they liked)
client: 500 hours ? Ok, Can you have it done by next week.
me: It will take about 1000 hours, so with one programmer on it it should be close to a year.
client: Hmm, that sounds high. Do we really have to have that documentation and training and the testing part ?
client: Can you install the internet on my computer for me ?
me: Sure, but I think you're gonna need a bigger disk.
me: Tell me a little about the project.
client: If I think it I want it to do it.
me: Ok, that will take me about 1000 years.
me: Ok, if you want to hold that much data we're gonna need a database system.
client: Why do I have to buy a database program ? Can't you do it in word ?
me: It should be about two weeks.
enlightened client: Define two weeks.