Some years ago, before I retired ...
One of my previous employers was $BIGCORP, a systems integrator since taken over by $BIGGERCORP. On one project, I was sent to a Government department in London for a project which involved sending out security questionnaires to various Local Authorities, and then assessing the replies. A previous contractor had constructed the questionnaires and the Department had sent them out; my job was to assess the replies.
I went into London to find a pile of (paper) questionnaires. I duly put the data into a spreadsheet, and noted that the responses seemed naturally to fall into one or another of half-a-dozen patterns. So on the way through, I assigned each local authority a grade letter ranging from A (pass) to F (complete failure). I then instructed the department secretary to contact the various local authorities with one of half-a-dozen standard letters graded according to the next action which needed to be taken (some needed no further action, some needed [specific] further information, and some needed to learn the basics of IT security). So far, I had spent 2 working days on site.
One peculiarity of this London venue was that the Department shared the building with the Food Standards Agency, who ran the canteen. Almost every vertical surface above a certain size was plastered with notices concerning the salt, sugar, fat and allergen content of their various offerings.
A couple of weeks later, the responses to the letters had arrived at the Department (plus a few stragglers from the initial questionnaire). I dealt with the stragglers as before, and updated the spreadsheet with the additional information from the incoming responses. Another 2 working days on site.
So, having completed the project and having spent 4 working days on site, I was then greeted at the debrief by a delighted customer at the Department ... and back at $BIGCORP by a disgruntled manager. They had estimated the project at 1 man-month, and had been expecting a man-month's worth of fees. And they hadn't told me.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
