Does anyone have experience with making flowcharts?
If so: how did you learn? Do you have any recommended resources?
We use Vizio for flow charts to lay out workflows for our vendor entity. That's about the whole of my 'advice', as I just deliver these, I don't build them.
Hating haters and their hate since a year that neither rhymes nor alliterates
@gryphter said in The Work Thread:
We use Vizio for flow charts to lay out workflows for our vendor entity. That's about the whole of my 'advice', as I just deliver these, I don't build them.
I'm going to have a whole section of flowcharts (as reference material) in the final deliverable and I honestly don't know where to begin with developing any. I think this is an area where being so ADHD works against me.
I even misspelled the name of the program, so that should give you a sense of how often I've actually used it. Out of guilt for my shitty and unhelpful answer I tried to research 'how to get started on a flow chart' however, that just turned up a lot of technical guides from the perspective of a multitude of different flow chart applications.
I suspect it's not the technical 'how' you need here, though. I always find it helpful to dial down to the smallest point of detail; what's the first event or decision point you can identify in the process? Get that, then work from that point step by step.
I'm sure none of this is blowing your mind with my fresh, hot take on flow charts or the vast amount of detailed information I've provided. Bottom line: You Can Do It.
They say "email with any questions."
The substance of my question is "are you joking, or just stupid?" I feel like I may need to workshop it a bit.
Things I expect to be doing when I come into work on Mondays as a criminal defense attorney:
Things I do not expect to be doing:
This is like being an ornithologist who gets called in to study marine phytoplankton because "you're a biologist so you can figure this out."
tl;dr LADY I DON'T WORK HERE
@Rinel said in The Work Thread:
This is like being an ornithologist who gets called in to study marine phytoplankton because "you're a biologist so you can figure this out."
what you aren't a MU character who can do everything in a broad field of study?!
also lawyer + ornithologist =
"Is this the appropriate time to scream like a goat?"
"Maybe we shouldn't eat the floor candy."
My Sundays teaching Hebrew School to 9- and 10-year-olds are interesting.
@tek I still find myself tempted by floor candy.
I have some of the greatest parents in the world in my classroom this year.
I also have the most fucking worst. One of my babies hasn't smiled all week and won't talk about why, but I have my suspicions. (No, nothing that the law would consider child abuse. That doesn't mean it isn't totally fucking this kid up.)
@tek Are they screaming like the goat who was traded for two zuzim?
"If you stand for nothing Burr, what will you fall for?"
-- Hamilton: An American Musical
@Cupcake said in The Work Thread:
@tek Are they screaming like the goat who was traded for two zuzim?
Our version of the old lady who swallowed a fly is pretty metal.
@silverfox said in The Work Thread:
I have some of the greatest parents in the world in my classroom this year.
Trade?
@tek said in The Work Thread:
@Cupcake said in The Work Thread:
Our version of the old lady who swallowed a fly is pretty metal.
Proof of concept:
When I interviewed for my job originally, they were interviewing for 2 positions. The one I got the position for and another (also tech writer) for another tool. I knew that one would be a month-ish behind the other, but I've heard nothing. I've actually been tempted to ask my boss about it because hey maybe that person could be good for collab and support and...
My boss just asked if I could make time this week (thankfully I can; my test environment is being taken down for a few days :P) to attend some meetings for and review the demo of the other tool and give her an estimate of how big a project it'd be.
...then told me that at the moment, she's considering just extending my contract so I can work on it, too.
I love this job.
I love this company.
And I've been kinda-sorta-panicking over what I'd do when the contract is up in January.
So I feel awesome that she has this level of confidence in me (a little of the 'imposter syndrome' just slipped away) and that I might maybe get to keep working here a bit longer.
Office365's web interface now lets you 'like' emails and things. I made the mistake of ranting about this (having likes in a professional environment) to my coworkers...
Yeah. My boss 'likes' every email I send her now.
ETA: I need to clarify. It is all in good fun.
@Sunny said in The Work Thread:
Office365's web interface now lets you 'like' emails and things. I made the mistake of ranting about this (having likes in a professional environment) to my coworkers...
Yeah. My boss 'likes' every email I send her now.
ETA: I need to clarify. It is all in good fun.
iOS lets you 'like' text messages.
My recruiter does it (she's a very bubbly, perky girl in her mid-20s so it's fitting I guess!) and it throws me off every time.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
Sure, I'll get some sleep last night (yay) to come into work. To be told that I need to work a third tonight because someone else called out. Oh, that also means that while tomorrow is my day off; I will be getting out at 7 am and thus sleeping through it. But you know.... everything's fine. EVERYTHING'S FINE.
Co-workers! I'm sorry you're on the outs with your respective significant others, but additionally, I don't actually care! Please hold off the loud arguments until you're on your own time!
Boss' boss! I'd really like to know, when you ask for "feedback" on the new decision, if you're actually looking for feedback or if you're just looking for us all to tongue your asshole about what a great idea this is. My answers would be dramatically different depending.
@insomniac7809 said in The Work Thread:
Co-workers! I'm sorry you're on the outs with your respective significant others, but additionally, I don't actually care! Please hold off the loud arguments until you're on your own time!
Boss' boss! I'd really like to know, when you ask for "feedback" on the new decision, if you're actually looking for feedback or if you're just looking for us all to tongue your asshole about what a great idea this is. My answers would be dramatically different depending.
Oh, man. This came up in a work meeting last week. We had a new complexity to the training program that I handle the logistics for added to the current class of trainees. There were two ways I could set it up to deal with that, both of which meant additional hurdles/consideration for the trainers.
Two weeks into it at our staff meeting, I flat-out asked them, "I know this is harder than last time and we're not that far into it yet, but seriously, do you guys hate this? Please tell me if you hate this."
There was a bunch of awkward silence, one person laughed nervously, and someone made a comment about a leading question. I had to repeatedly reassure a room of twenty people that's responsible for training people away from micromanaging and into more collaborative and functional teams that I had been that blunt on purpose because if they hate it, I honestly won't be offended and really want them to tell me without sugarcoating any difficulties they're having. I can do it the other way for the next class that I'm currently planning, it just means trading one set of hurdles for another. It led to really good conversation and plans. I wish managers would accept honest feedback! Someone questioning an idea or even saying outright "I'm not sure this is going to work and here's why" is not the same as "You're a turd and also bad at your job and PS, you should be embarrassed in front of all of our colleagues." Unless they fall into the category of sleazy office politics asshole, they're honestly probably trying to help you make the underlying thing you're trying to achieve work.
I have some of the greatest parents in the world in my classroom this year.
I also have the most fucking worst. One of my babies hasn't smiled all week and won't talk about why, but I have my suspicions. (No, nothing that the law would consider child abuse. That doesn't mean it isn't totally fucking this kid up.)
