Does the software company I work for function like most others?

[groadsvb]

First of all I consider myself lucky to have my job but I would like others opinion on my topic related to the company I work for. Our company as any is driven on sales but the cycle of work seems a little miscalculated and it has not changed in 20 years. The sales department will set delivery dates on goods and services which has always put the developers in a rush to produce and mandated overtime every 3 - 6 months. The modifications to the core product requested by a customer are not thoroughly tested as there is not enough time. The installation of the software rarely goes smoothly. We work 16 hours days for the week when the customer goes live on the software fixing the major issues and another couple of weeks fixing the remainder of the issues on a regular work schedule. Since I have worked for the same company for a long time I was curious if this was common amoung most software companies. If you could share you opinion with me I would greatly like to hear from you. Thanks.

 

[EvilGenius]

It is common in the industry for the Sales/Marketing department to drive development cycles. It is a poor company that does not place project managers between sales and the development staff. Unfortunately it is a common thing in most small to midsize companies for they do not have the resources to spread out load. These companies tend to be geared towards high turnover rate. Using up there employees and then replacing them as needed. This tends to lead to lower skilled groups. It does not sound like your company has matured much as a company over the years. You could see this as an opportunity or you could leave to a place you can get the quality of life you are looking for.

If you have been working for them for a long time, you do not have to put up with this. I would put out your resume, talk to a good head hunter, and decide where you want to work. The jobs are there you just have to be proactive to find them.

 

[jmcilhinney]

I agree with what EvilGenius has said. What you describe is obviously very bad practice but is depressingly common and is a major reason that software development as a whole gets a bad name in some places. It is the result of extremely short-sighted thinking by people who do not understand their customers and, in many cases, don't particularly care to. To change requires someone who is above both departments to have a little vision.