Cobol - Training

Author

Training

Jim Morcombe

2004-05-19, 1:30 am

This comment was made in another thread.

I think you underestimate the value of an hour invested in a training
session; more importantly, you underestimate - or demean - the ability of
human beings to learn new things.

For crying out loud, if someone can write COBOL programs, and has been doing
so since COBOL 74 (in which they certainly did not receive any formal
instruction very recently), surely they can handle it.

If your firm is unwilling to invest an hour or so in an employee, well, that
simply confirms the patronizing attitude expressed above.

Anyone who has lead a sizable maintenence effort will have had to deal with
the problem, "How the hell do we get the programmers to do it this way!!"

Anyone can be taught how to adopt a new method, but once they start dealing
with existing code that still does it the old way how do you stop them from
back-sliding into old habits?

The only method I have found that works is to have a systematic program in
place that forces individual staff to use the new methods several times.
All staff need to be forced to go through this process.

Having used the new methods quite a few times forces people to learn as
opposed to understand.

It also places the new methods in the existing base of software being
maintained, Hence people keep coming across the new techniques repeatedly.
This acts as a refresher course.

But Jeez, it is such a battle. At times you begin to understand all those
idiots that stand up and shout that its better to fire the old programmers
and hired new ones.

Michael Mattias

2004-05-19, 8:30 am

"Jim Morcombe" <jim@byronics.com.au> wrote in message
news:c8ekva$rfs$1@yeppa.connect.com.au...
> This comment was made in another thread.
[ this comment was mine]
>
>
> Anyone who has lead a sizable maintenence effort will have had to deal
with
> the problem, "How the hell do we get the programmers to do it this way!!"
>
> Anyone can be taught how to adopt a new method, but once they start
dealing
> with existing code that still does it the old way how do you stop them
from
> back-sliding into old habits?

> The only method I have found that works is to have a systematic program in
> place that forces individual staff to use the new methods several times.

Um, I think this is called - and someone please correct me if I'm wrong
here - "professional management."

Many can lead the horses to water... but it takes a professional manager
(which is not the same thing as a professional programmer!) to make them
WANT to drink.

--
Michael Mattias
Tal Systems, Inc.
Racine WI
mmattias@talsystems.com

Jim Morcombe

2004-05-20, 10:30 pm

Michael Mattias <michael.mattias@gte.net> wrote in message news:loHqc.9237
> Um, I think this is called - and someone please correct me if I'm wrong
> here - "professional management."
>
You are wrong and I correct you:)
A professional manager is someone who deals with adults. They set
objectives and so on.

What we are talking about here is "kindergarten teacher" or perhaps
"surrogate mother".

A manager recognises that there are problems in getting an orgnisation to
accept change and adopt new methodologies. A manager will provide
motivation for the change, trainiing to support the change, introduce new
procedures to support the change. But he is not prepared for programmers.

We have all introduced new software systems to "Users" and come up with
horror stories about how they resist change - however we only talk about
"Users" because no one could every believe the real stories about
programming teams.

Jim

> Many can lead the horses to water... but it takes a professional manager
> (which is not the same thing as a professional programmer!) to make them
> WANT to drink.
>
>
> --
> Michael Mattias
> Tal Systems, Inc.
> Racine WI
> mmattias@talsystems.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

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