Clarity with No E-Mail -- Part II

For those of you that read my previous post, you might be interested in the ironic conclusion.   For those of that did not read it, the quick synopsis was that "John Q. Public" was not interested in e-mails, unless they were from his boss.   He was ready to strangle the person responsible (unless it was his boss) for sending him so much e-mail from JIRA.   Both his (and my) suspicion was that a JIRA template was created so that he was getting added to the watch list for all new JIRA issues that met a certain criteria.   

"John" decided to dig into it further, and when he found no template, he asked the authors of some of the JIRA issues he was not "interested in".    The "template" in question was text file that the individuals were instructed to add him to the watch list of *every* JIRA issue they wrote.   Who instructed them to did this?    None other than "Johns" boss. :-)

A better ending that an O. Henry story!

A true story.....Clarity - with no e-mail

The following IM exchange is a true story -- the names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the guilty).   Things I noticed:

• The distinction between "binary clarity" and the nebulous  "done", "done done", and "done done done"..... -- more on this in a future post

• The lack of "personal clarity" for John Public -- also more in a future post

• John Public's concern over e-mail "from the boss" vs. those that can give him clarity.

• "JIRA" -- a free "plug" for JIRA from Attlassian -- I am not on their payroll.

john.public@company.com 10:21 AM

So James, the question is: "Can Consulting Company XYZ work on Ticket-1234? (I think that's what Joe was hoping...). Or does it have to be Fred?"

James Q. Public 10:22 AM

Ticket-1234 has been resolved.  The ticket is in "Resolved" status

so it would be waste of time

patience young man

I am not done w/ my updates

to that ticket

to achieve "binary clarity"

John Public 10:26 AM

"binary clarity" = "done"/"not done"?;)

James Q. Public 10:27 AM

exactly!

thank you for not e-mailing me on this;)

John Public 10:27 AM

I always thought there was "done", "done done", and "done done done".....

Hey, that reminds me - who do I talk to that can get my name off all the JIRA Tickets? It's flooding my email and I'm missing JIRA Tickets that I actually need to do something about....

James Q. Public 10:29 AM

interesting thought.......

JIRA tickets are how SW is changed

IMO 

we send too much e-mail "about work"

JIRA can do the same

and it is directly tied to the work being done

this whole "project" has been 

more about talking about work

rather 

than doing it

John Public 10:32 AM

So add a JIRA ticket to keep myself from arbitrarily being added to the Cc: list for all <project name> Jira tickets?:(

or is there some "<project name> JIRA master" that can remove me?

James Q. Public 10:32 AM

we all have "free will"

U can remove yourself from any ticket

that will be visble to those on the tickets

John Public 10:33 AM

I want to keep from being arbitrarily added in the first place.

James Q. Public 10:33 AM

*somebody* thought you should be added

John Public 10:33 AM

So if I have free will can I "strangle" that person?

(assuming it's not my boss....)

James Q. Public 10:34 AM

another interesting thought.....

John Public 10:34 AM

heh

James Q. Public 10:34 AM

I would think you would be > interested 

if that person were not your boss

John Public 10:34 AM

I'm very philosophical this morngin.....

James Q. Public 10:34 AM

because they are >> closer to the actual work

and >> grounded and facts 

I am adding you to tickets as we "speak"

:)

you will get no sympathy from me

as I am on more 

JIRA tickets than anyone!!

John Public 10:35 AM

No! NO! I'll stop "speaking"!! I'M SORRY!!!

James Q. Public 10:36 AM

because what you will get from the current

<project name> team is

1) stop sending me e-mails

2) comment in JIRA tickets

James Q. Public 11:30 AM

Still there?

John Public 11:30 AM

yup

James Q. Public 11:30 AM

these are e-mails that I think you would *crave*

<JIRA Ticket URL>

:)

"This is nothing more than best practices. "

this is not about "throwing work" to Consulting Company XYZ 

but KT for them to be more productive

are you clear on the current status?

John Public 11:34 AM

Ok. The way Joe had added it as a "Tab" on the Consulting Company XYZ Status report, he though it would be a longer term project that requried work to improve the speed of the builds.

And Sue was to coordinate between us and Consulting Company XYZ...

James Q. Public 11:34 AM

:)

so the "OK" means you are clear -- correct?

John Public 11:35 AM

So we don't believe that's an issue anymore - no room for improvement in the build process performance?

(just want to be sure what I'm saying OK to...):)

James Q. Public 11:35 AM

OK to "clarity"

as in your personal clarity

John Public 11:36 AM

or at least nothing that Consulting Company XYZ could help with, right/