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I am in 3rd line support. We do a lot of bug fixing (although we should be doing other stuff). Quite often, we get systems which are so badly designed and configured (at the server OS level and software level) that they are beyond repair.

Yet my manager, even though he was a dev, may swear when I tell him the system is unrepairable (As the person who does our server work gives an opinion that it's FUBAR). However, he still expects it to work without a rebuild. How can I make it work like that when a guy with a million years more experience says the system needs a rebuild?

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I haven't seen an unrepairable system in my life. I've seen messy code, I've seen buggy code. I've seen code that was fundamentally flawed. I've been a mobile infantrist programmer fighting bugs on Klendatu and survived until victory. There's no such thing as unrepairable software. – Falcon Jun 2 '12 at 7:42
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No system is FUBAR. But if he says without code modification then he is obviously mistaken. – Monster Truck Jun 2 '12 at 11:40

closed as off topic by maple_shaft♦ Jul 12 '12 at 2:17

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2 Answers

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I've been there - hundreds of times. Patching, patches (sometimes very poor patches) - struggling with code fixed so many times that it is almost undecipherable with myriads of exception conditions to avoid design holes.

Not a lot can be done when you have a new (and probably scared) manager in the hot seat - as you say he has been a manager (moved from developer) bearly a year, he is probably balking at pushing for a rewrite budget (of saying his team can't fix it - and needs to go to a dev team for a replacement). If you have been there a while and have the right contacts, sometimes an accidental right word in the right ear can get things moving. Just things such as telling someone senior who is waiting for a fix that the delay is because this same program keeps getting in the way and you are not allowed to fix it properly - you get the idea. If played right, it will come back as a suggestion from on high and then new boss will probably jump at it. Be careful though - and good luck.

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Questions:

  • How long before was he a dev?
  • Does he understand the modern tools, frameworks & technologies?
  • Is he a tech aficionado (i.e. a forward-looking guy that looks at emerging/future trends)?
    • If he is, then he could very well be thinking in terms of trade-offs.
      • Maybe the bottom line is more important to the company today and YOUR job could depend on it.

If he has no clue and you need the job, then it's time for you to become skilled enough to be 1st line support. :) Look for ways to get the system working without re-engineering.

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Was a dev till a year and a bit ago. No to tech affictionado. It simply is not possible to make the system work without a major rec-configuration. – dotnetdev Jun 2 '12 at 2:07
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Erm first line support are the guys that answer phones and ask if it's plugged in - third line is technical support - when it gets to them it is a system problem not a user problem. No one in 3rd line wants to be in 1st line! – Wolf5370 Jun 4 '12 at 12:38

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