- The “It’s a small world” music should be piped into this place. This area is small in terms of developers and IT people, so running into so many people I’ve worked with in the past has been funny.
- Everything is setup as work groups. And people are very openly vocal about, well, everything. Headphones are a must. May even have to find some noise cancelling ones. Loudest workspace I have ever worked in.
- Most complex project I have ever worked as part of. My sub project is one of 10 work streams that feed to the larger project. My project itself is a 9 month project for phase 1 with an immediate phase 2 that goes live a month later. It is no wonder everyone is stressed.
- Change requests are rampant as they capture business requirements missed. There are over 100 that have been logged. It has become a joke between the PMs as to who has the largest number in the queue. I am, thankfully, NOT winning or even in the running.
- Fancy coffee machines may seem nice but are a pain in the ass. They have one that serves cup-by-cup custom coffee including flavorings, strengths, etc. Nice idea. But waiting 30 min for a cup of coffee as the machine refills and resets itself is not helpful.
- The bureaucracy for managing projects here is, well, insane. Daily status updates by a certain time each day, weekly status updates by a certain time each week, validation that you are updating your project plan daily, validation that you are updating your issues daily. I must spoon feed my team daily. I will draw the line at wiping for them.
- I have a very smart project team with the exception of my pain-in-the-ass princess. She is a game player, believes she is the one truly in charge and to be served by the rest of the team. This morning she tried to start lecturing me in front of the team about the fact, she believed, I jumped the gun before she was ready. I squashed her in a way that didn’t give her a complaint. It was funny. Whatever – I’ve dealt with her type before. She is not my customer, so she serves me and the project team – not the other way around. This will be fun.
- I work with more women than I have ever worked with. The team is actually split 50-50, but some how all the women and men were split in terms of where we sit. Thank goodness for wireless as I may migrate myself. The hens have been clucking at me all ready.
- The IT guy is going to hate me. I have a laptop. That is it. I cannot edit a huge project plan without an external mouse. I’m sorry, but the touch pad will not cut it. Oh, and a phone would also be nice. and a monitor. I know, I know – I’m too demanding!
- But I will have to say having 100% free reign on my laptop has been very nice. I missed it.
- Skype is now my friend.
- It is weird having a desk with a trash can again. Working for a “green company” for 18 months got me used to not making trash.
- My team is composed of Indian, Pakistani, and British people. I am dealing with so many different accents that it’s hard for my ear to switch gears as they start talking rapidly. I’ll get used to it, I’m sure. But it’s made for a fun first few days.
- I am, however, now craving Indian food – the kind that wafts from the lunch room which I’m near each day. Mmmm…..Indian food. I know what I’m making this weekend!
- For as large of a company as this is, it feels quite small. 20,000 people worldwide with 350 people here. Definitely has a start-up feel. And I like the fact these guys can laugh at each other and be blunt and all. I worried when I took this job that I would hate it given the overall company size. So far, it’s not too bad. But then again, getting a paycheck again helps TREMENDOUSLY!
Some similarities to places I’ve worked in as well. You gave me a chuckle at the switching between accents… if they’re mild, it’s okay, but when they get strong, you really have to focus. But that’s the nature of the industry, isn’t it?
Well, congrats on your new Digs! Here is hoping you are working with a good bunch of people and the Drama Llama is no where in sight!