Conference 7.286::digital

    I remember reading "Honesty" included in the "Digital Philosophy".
    If you feel uncomfortable with what your immediate Manager has asked
    you to do, shouldn't you use the open door policy and ask advice
    from the next level higher Manager?
    

    I'm not sure if you're going to have a rush of responses to this
    so I thought I'd offer my (personal) views.                             
                                                                 
    My understanding of the way Digital works (I have worked for Digital
    for three years) is that all selling activity is linked to resources
    required to deliver that which is sold.   Nothing should therefore
    be sold without ensuring the resources are available to deliver.
      I accept that in certain circumstance clients will make unexpected
    demands on us and we then have to respond as best we can and the
    note does not indicate whether this is the case.   One of the roles
    of the salesperson is therefore to sell in the knowledge that we
    can deliver.   In this respect the role of the SWS manager is that
    of a resource manager.   His responsibility is to know what can
    be delivered with the resources to hand and to ensure that labour
    force is not overcommited.                                   
                                                                 
    If the salesperson comes with the request for extra resources the
    resource manager should refuse the request if the resources are
    genuinely not available.   The manager cannot be held responsible
    if the activity is not in his plan for the year.             
                                                                 
    In short I believe this problem lies with both the salesperson and
    the resource manager - not the SWS specialist.   One of the  
    fundamentals of securing long term business with major clients is
    relationships which imply trust.   To put that trust at risk is
    to risk our overall business with the client - I do not know the
    comparative $ values involved so cannot assess further.      
                                                                 
    The standard I endeavour to maintain is that I will not do anything
    that risks my personal integrity with my client.   Once this is
    questioned the relationship deteriorates rapidly.   As a manager
    with other companies in the past I have found that simple solutions
    like asking the client for permission to "borrow" his resources
    for a short period has been successful - especially if the basic
    relationship is sound.   This further cements the relationship in
    that the client can see we are being honest.   Some form of
    "compensation " can be offered to the client for the inconvenience.
                   
                                                                       
    I summary I believe this is a sales/management issue and should not be
    forced on the employee to give them an easy out.   If the employee 
    asks his/her management to deal with the matter sensitively there  
    should be no problem - though I admit it may not be easy.   If the 
    employees future career is jeapordised then it is a clear case for
    escalation to personnel ,etc.                                
                                                                 
    Remember - Digital trusts every employee to do what is right!
    
    
    
    
    

	RE: .2 Nice theory but in my ten or so years at DEC I've seen
	people sell on-site resources first and locating them second to
	be the norm rather than the exception. That's been a fact of life
	at DEC for a long long time. Not that it's right but that is the
	way it is.

	RE: .0 Based on what we have here it appears that the SWS manager has to
	find a resource to help the second customer. I think he's doing it
	the wrong way (pulling someone off an other site). I'd push back (and
	up if need be) to get someone else on the job. For two weeks a deal
	can be made with an other office if the skill set is that unique.

	Option two is to fight for telling customer 1 the truth. That is that
	for a short time you are needed else where and you will be back in two
	weeks. In the mean time coverage will be provided by a very qualified
	person and you will be available by phone if need be (to the DECCie)
	if there are problems. If this is not acceptable to the customer than
	get the customers salesperson in the fight to stay there.

	The problem may be that the customer may not trust that you will be
	back in two weeks. "What if something goes wrong?" This would appear
	to be a valid concern. If I were your management I'd be more concerned
	with building up this customers trust than putting your warm body at
	some other site for two weeks. Doesn't customer satisfaction count?

				Alfred

    It's your manager's job to negotiate with the customer in this
    instance, not yours! And if customer relations are now what they should
    be, there should be no major objection (assuming your temporary
    replacement is capable).  Just so it doesn't become a habit.
    
    /Ed

    You didn't say how formal the understanding with the customer was,
    but from my PSS days it was illegal to promise a given resource
    for a job since that person could die or resign, etc.  We were only
    supposed to promise "a resource able to do the job."
    
    That being as it may, it's still not right to ask you to lie.  I'd
    refuse to say anything and let my manager explain it to the customer.
    Any questions I was asked directly I'd either answer truthfully
    or refer to my manager.
    
    My 2 cents
    

    I'd advise:
    
    1)  Tell your manager in a face-to-face meeting in his office behind a
    closed door that you will be happy to do the 2-week assignment, but
    that you are not comfortable telling your customer something that is
    not the truth.  I would be surprised if it goes any further than that,
    since your manager is directly violating one of the bullets in our
    corporate philosophy; he/she will probably back down then and there.
    
    2) If not, tell your manager in a nice way that you are going to pursue
    the matter through Sales and through the ODP.
    
    3) Get the sales account manager involved.  He/she will have the
    customer's best interest at heart.  The sales organization exerts a
    tremendous influence over SWS where customer issues are concerned.
    
    4) If it's necessary, use the ODP.  But do it un-emotionally and
    emphasize the *business* aspect of what you are being asked to do.
    
    5) Don't go to Personnel.
    
    I personally don't believe you'll ever need to get to step 4, but if
    you do remember you're on firm ground.
    
    Good luck.
    
    						Pat

I remember this kind of hoo-ha from my days as a delivery specialist.  The goal
of a unit manager in the field seemed to be to maximize short term return (this
quarters results) at the cost of long term relationships with customers.

I "lived" at a site for 4 1/2 years and even (with appropriate permissions) was
involved in their advanced development efforts.  During this time I was pulled
for periods of up to a week (I was billing the residency at level 4-5 Time and
materials) to resolve sales person give-aways for which their were no bodies
or disaster situations or (in one case) to deliver a short term task.

The most notable time I remember which relates to .0 was when I was needed to
set up a bench mark (I did have appropriate specialized expertise).  I was told
to head for the bench mark site and the boss would talk to the customer (who
it turns out was under the impression that I shouldn't be pulled off their work
since they were laying out major money for me).  Well the boss did call them, 
and when I returned 4 days later, I was asked if I felt better.  Seems I had
come down with something fierce.

A major problem in the field (SWS) as I saw it was that you could only hire for
guaranteed business of for positions funded by sales to provide sales support.
Therefore, you could not have a body around for the 1-2 week tasks that appeared
in the course of the Quarter and yet the  manager wants to have the service
delivered in the quarter without having to go through a multi week hirint effort.

Sometimes this can be solved by borrowing loose bodies from other unless
geography precludes this, and sometimes it is solved pulling someone from a
residency short term, hopefully in an honist fashion.

I don't agree with tactics of "hiding the truth" when it comes to a long term
relationship with a customer.  If the customer is made to understand, that
for business reasons, occasional short absences might happen, I think it can
work.  I also don't believe that if you are a committed resident that the
absence (for other than sickness, holidays or DEC meetings) should ever be more
that a day or so.


				Bill

    
    One of DEC's great rules is "Don't listen to your boss if he is wrong"!
    
    You must deal with Dec's customers as .1 and .2 suggest: Openly,
    Honestly, and with Integrity
    
    The Digital Way " Always do the right thing"! You can only follow
    your conscience and do what's right. You are the one who has to get
    up and look at yourself in the morning!
    
    This is my 17th year at DEC; I have never been admonished for doing
    the right thing. Bosses make mistakes also. I would never lie to
    a customer!
    

RE:                    <<< Note 852.2 by ODIHAM::GEANEY >>>
                          -< One employee's Opinion >-

    > My understanding of the way Digital works (I have worked for Digital
    > for three years) is that all selling activity is linked to resources
    > required to deliver that which is sold.
    
    This would be nice, but it is almost never true.
    
    > Nothing should therefore be sold without ensuring the resources are
    > available to deliver.
    
    Nearly *all* SWS consulting is sold without ensuring the resources are
    available to deliver.
    
    > One of the roles of the salesperson is therefore to sell in the
    > knowledge that we can deliver.
    
    Sales has asked, even *begged* for years, for SWS to identify resources
    before the customer signs on the dotted line.  SWS responds with "Don't
    worry about that, resource management is our job.  You just sell the
    consulting."
    
    > In this respect the role of the SWS manager is that of a resource
    > manager.   His responsibility is to know what can be delivered with the
    > resources to hand and to ensure that labour force is not overcommitted.
    
    True, and most of them do a really good job of it.
                                                                 
    > If the salesperson comes with the request for extra resources the
    > resource manager should refuse the request if the resources are
    > genuinely not available.
    
    If the salesperson's request is for chargeable consulting, the SWS
    manager does not have the option of turning down the business.  Well,
    technically s/he could turn it down, but if his/her management ever
    found out it would be career-limiting.  And if s/he turned down
    business and then didn't make budget, it would make a big black mark at
    performance review time.
    
    > The manager cannot be held responsible if the activity is not in his
    > plan for the year.
    
    Not true.  Managers are held responsible for whatever changing business
    conditions happen to throw their way.  It has to be that way; you can't
    sit down at the beginning of the year and map out everything your
    customers are going to do for the next 12 months.
                                                                 
    > In short I believe this problem lies with both the salesperson and the
    > resource manager - not the SWS specialist.
    
    I question how much of the responsibility for this situation lies with
    sales, but certainly the resource manager should be accountable.
    
    > One of the fundamentals of securing long term business with major
    > clients is relationships which imply trust.   To put that trust at risk
    > is to risk our overall business with the client - I do not know the
    > comparative $ values involved so cannot assess further.
    
    The Sales organization understands that.  That's why I mentioned a couple
    of notes ago that it might help to get sales involved.
                                                                 
    > The standard I endeavour to maintain is that I will not do anything
    > that risks my personal integrity with my client.
    
    That's a good standard to have; hang on to it.
    
    > As a manager with other companies in the past I have found that simple
    > solutions like asking the client for permission to "borrow" his
    > resources for a short period has been successful - especially if the
    > basic relationship is sound.   This further cements the relationship in
    > that the client can see we are being honest.
    
    I've personally never had a customer refuse when asked permission to
    "borrow" one of their people for a short assignment.  According to the
    base note author, however, this customer has been burned before and
    wouldn't be likely to agree.  However, it still seems like it wouldn't
    hurt to *ask*.
    
    > Some form of "compensation " can be offered to the client for the
    > inconvenience.
    
    I agree.  Though technically it is against every rule in the book, I did
    this on occasion when I was a SWS manager.  It's a good way to get what
    you want and still end up with two happy customers.
    
    > I summary I believe this is a sales/management issue and should not be
    > forced on the employee to give them an easy out.
    
    Agreed.
    
    > If the  employees future career is jeapordised then it is a clear case
    > for escalation to personnel ,etc.
    
    Don't go to Personnel.  Use Sales and/or the ODP if necessary.
    
    							Pat

I haven't seen the resident contract for years, but way back in 75, when I was
a resident, the contract explicitly prohibited putting the resident into a
consulting position on another site anytime during the contract.

Once, on a customer holiday which was not a DEC Holiday, I was asked to go fix
a consulting problem at another site.  I was told not to breathe a word of it
to the customer.  Since the customer wasn't losing anything, it didn't really
bother me that much.

On another occasion, a customer had demanded that we show up with a person who
would be the resident before they would sign the contract.  I refused to go and
also ragged my manager about bringing another person who also was known would
not take the resident assignment.  I was accused of being the "corporate
conscience."  Both of us soon left software services.

BTW, the first occasion may have created more problems for my manager than it
solved.  Another specialist had already charged the customer for over a month
of consulting while trying to understand the problem.  I walked in at 2 PM,
and was out at 4PM, having designed and coded a 30 line SABR subroutine which
did exactly what the customer needed.

Needless to say, the customer demanded all of the previously billed money back!

/john

    RE: .0
    
    	This is the real world. Don't think that the "Digital Philosophy"
    means anything in this situation. Using the ODP can be tantamount to
    career suicide.  Watch your behind. Do as your boss asks. Leave soon
    for a post� where you will be more comfortable with their business
    practices. Make sure your reasons for leaving are well known.
    
    May sound cynical or even nasty; but that's how I am, this time on a
    Friday.
    
    - ���
    
    � Stay in DEC if possible, there are several places where you will find
    a concience is a valued asset.

    Re: .11
    
    When you recommend "Do as your Boss says", does this include
    outright lies to the customer?  How will that help someone's
    career path if/when that customer finds out they have been lied
    to?  In both Sales and Software, which are front-line customer
    contact people, we cannot ignore the customer's best interests.
    It's these little lies that turn into mistrust and later into
    real problem issues when dealing with customers.
    

    He who pays the piper calls the tune. If you don't like the dance, then
    find a different dancefloor.
    
    I'm not really this nasty - but I OD'd on the idealistic nature of some
    of the replies herein which, in my opinion, were nice but not
    necessarily related to real life.
    
    - ���

    Re: .11
    
    While i agree with Andy on the WYA (as opposed to CYA), I don't 
    believe that that the ODP would "...be tantamount to career suicide.". 
    
    A friend of mine (yes, i do have some ;^) who's a FSE once told
    me that "...as long as you are right, you can get away with
    anything".  If you were (hypotheticaly speaking of course) wronged, 
    it is _your_ responsiblity to see that the wrong is righted.  
    
    Digital, as a corporation, speaks highly of it's ODP; So test it.
    Take it as far up the ladder as you would feel necessary to correct
    the wrong.  If the ODP fails, in this instance, then my faith in
    in it and it's philosophy would be serverly shaken.
    
    To quote another friend of mine .. "Whatever it is, do it right".
    
    -Jp

    I agree with the general tone of most of the previous answers: talk to
    your boss, and use ODP if necessary.  However, if that doesn't work,
    and you are still faced with the requirement to lie to your customer,
    here is what I would do: tell your customer the truth, including the
    fact that you are being asked to lie to him, and what the lie is.
    
    This won't make your customer happy with DEC, and it will for sure
    make your boss unhappy with you, but it is an effective way to
    retain your self-esteem.  There will be flap, but at the end you
    are likely to still be consulting for this customer.  The customer
    will trust you, even though he won't trust DEC.
    
    Of course, don't expect anything in the way of promotions or raises
    until you get a new boss.  Since salary actions are being delayed
    for at least 3 months anyway, that may not be a very important
    consideration.  Even if you get fired, you've still got your self-
    respect.  Also, you shouldn't have much trouble landing a job with the
    customer.
        John Sauter

.0 is an important issue. 

I think Pat was on the mark, though.  If you get your manager into a
closed door session and say, "I won't lie to the customer and it's not
the right thing to do"  it would be remarkable if s/he didn't back 
down immediately.

And whether or not you use ODP,  you have the right and power to
refuse to lie.  Stick to your guns on that.  

And, like Pat said, don't go near personnel with this.

K.

    I was put into this situation recently, and I told the customer
    where I'm a resident the truth - that I was needed for short term
    (couple of days), consulting elsewhere - since I have a good
    relationship with the customer, telling the truth didn't hurt.
    
    BTW, its a good thing I did tell the truth, as the DP mgr I report
    to at my residency site and the DP mgr of the site where I was doing
    the consulting live on the same street (something I found out AFTER
    informing the DP mgr at the residency site).
    
    If we 'hide the truth' however innocently, it can always come back
    to haunt us - MANY of the people we deal with belong to organizations
    like DPMA etc... and they DO discuss the business they do with DEC
    ammong themselves.  Never lie to a customer...
    
    My two cents... Ds.

    re: .10 (Covert)
    
    Indentured servitude went out of style a while ago.  When Digital
    sells advisory consulting these days,  our promise is only to deliver 
    a specific set of skills, not a particular body.  DEC reserves the
    right to change personnel on a residency as it suits our business needs.
    Of course, customer satisfaction is an ongoing concern and should
    act as a suitable damper to the unfettered exercise of that right.
    
    Naturally, this is the real world.  There is always a mating ritual
    which takes place between the customer and us, especially with new
    business.  Some customers don't buy the "we sell skills not
    individuals" slogan (usually because they aren't very sophisticated),
    and not all account and PSS managers are equally adept at properly
    setting customer expectations.  So we hand out resumes (discretely,
    of course), or make informal promises on who will deliver the service,
    or let the customer interview a specialist.  It's part of 'doing
    what's right' to insure we get the customers money and he gets value
    for it and is satisfied.
    
    re: .0
    
    It constantly amazes me how many SW unit manager simply don't do
    their job.  Managing the resources under his control to best
    meet his margin/revenue/yield/satisfaction goals is *his* job, not
    yours.  Anyone on a residency, unless they are spending all their time
    playing pinochle in a back room, has enough to do without the 
    distraction of worrying about the risk to customer sat or personal
    integrity because of their manager's problems.  Or more specifically,
    the manager's failure to deal with those problems.
    
    I've always hated the part of my job which involves delivering unsavory
    news to customers.  But it's part of the job and it must be done. 
    It would bother me to tell others to do what I don't want to do myself,
    so I don't.
    
    Provided you have a good relationship with your manager, you should
    be able to have a frank discussion with him.  Say that you have
    a real problem with being used to actively deceive your customer
    and that you prefer either have him do it or that you be allowed
    to tell the truth.  I have found that very few devious people are
    credible enough to be able to turn personal integrity into a
    performance problem.  I also wouldn't hesitate to use the ODP in
    this case, although you shouldn't underestimate the effort required
    to prepare and deliver such a message to your DM.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Al
    

    Re: .0
                        
    Has your manager considered approaching the customer with the truth?
    "Hey, I'm in bind here...etc.."
    
    Have your manager clear it with the customer.  If the customer
    complains, then have your manager find some one else to do the 2 week
    job. If your manager PROMISED that you would not leave the account, he
    is a knucklehead, but I think he should not break his promise.  That 
    promise should be broken by your manager's manager, when the time comes.
            
    

    When I was in field sws doing residencies, this type of thing was the
    norm, not unusual at all.  It's sad to see that this has not changed
    yet.
    
    For another vote for actions already stated in previous replies:
    
    *  talk to your manager about it; do not lie to your customer.
    *  use ODP if necessary.  It may not make you popular with your
       manager, but it should gain you (and Digital) some points with
       the customer, helping to soothe a relationship that already
       sounds as if it has a weak foundation, and should also gain you
       some points with the account mgr/sales rep for keeping this
       customer happy.
    *  in being open & honest with the customer, I would be surprised
       if the customer wouldn't OK your short absence.  Many sws mgrs
       seems to occasionally forget that customers are people too.
    *  if your managers 'wins' and you do lie, and the customer finds
       out and gets *really* PO'd about it, there will be very little
       satisfaction in being able to say "I told you so".
    
    fwiw
    Jon

    One more thought, just in case the whole situation gets sticky, even
    when using the ODP:  DOCUMENT THE WHOLE CHAIN OF EVENTS.  Keep copies
    of mail messages, even keep a short concise personal 'event diary'. 
    When/if things get sticky, these will be invaluable to you.
    
    Jon_who's_been_there_and_thanks_his_stars_that_he_used_to_be_a_fan_
    of_Jack_Webb_and_Dragnet
    

    My background: 5 years at DEC, a SWS resident (currently 1� yrs at a bank).
    
    	Don't lie for  someone else. Let _THEM_ talk to customer.
    
        Get sales mgr and your mgr in one room, discuss how important
    	Customer satisfaction is. Debate the merits of 2 weeks revenue
        elsewhere, versus the continued relationship with the customer.
	Talk DOLLARS. For some reason, this has more impact than the "right
        thing" sometimes.
        
        P.s. the biggest drawback to being a (dedicated) resident - you
        will end up feeling closer to them than to DEC ! Ironic really.
    
    /Jeff
    

    I don't work in this area, but a thought or two has crossed my mind
    while reading the original note and the replies. All of wjhat follows
    is based on what's in this note. I don't know all the ins and outs of
    the situation so I could be very wrong here. However...
    
    My first impression is that your manager is asking you to do his dirty
    work for him. If he wants to move you for a while, it's up to him to
    tell the customer. 
    
    Better still, you need a meeting with the customer, you, your manager,
    and the sales rep. Your manager must then explain to the customer what
    the situation is, why you're being moved, what interim support measures
    are being taken, and when you'll be back.
    
    My suspiscion here is that unless you are all very careful we'll lose
    another customer.
    
    Bottom line: I fully agree with your moral stance and would not want
    you to lie to a customer (they're too important). Delegate the problem
    upwards.
    
    Keith.

Re: .11

>    
>    � Stay in DEC if possible, there are several places where you will find
>    a concience is a valued asset.
>

Being a cynic today, could you name a few such places?  I've not seen that many
in the field in years .... :-(

Steve

     
    Mostly those that aren't directly sales-related. Engineering, CSSE, etc 
    
    - ���

This in unfortunate but it still happens.  

Back in 1984, I was in a similar situation.  I was a resident at one customer
full time.  My then manager told me (over vigurous protest) I had to come over
to another city (about 2-1/2 hours away) to help out on another project during
a week-night (I think it was a Tuesday evening) but still work full time on my
residence.  So I worked all day Tuesday in City A, drove down to City B, worked
there all night and drove back to City A to work all day Wednesday.  

Well, I was so tired that I was weaving all over the road (a two-lane country
road) in the dark on the return trip.  I finally pulled over to nap for about
15 minutes, and continued this to get back to City A.  Stopped by my apartment
to shower and change and made it to my residence about 30 minutes late.  

Well, it seems that their systems had crashed during the night and they had a
demonstration for some very important gov't officials in the Eastern Time Zone
(one hour ahead of us).  Very bad scene -- until I finally got their systems
back up and running.  Customer was mad -- I was catching a lot of heat, and was
under 'orders' by my manager not to tell them where I'd been.

To make a long story short, in the end the story came out, the customer
realized I was caught in the middle of a bad situation, and redirected heat to
Digital management for pulling resources, and my manager was apologizing all
over the place.

It wasn't a fair request, but managers can and do make them.  I just didn't
like being placed in a position where I was expected to 'deceive' a customer.

My advice -- "in all situations, do what is right" -- it's really the best
policy in the long-run.

Steve

    (IM not speaking as a moderator here)
               
    IMO...
    If an employee of DIGITAL lies to a customer, then DIGITAL has lied
    to a customer.  A perception of unethicality is damaging to all
    of us, and to the company as a whole. Whether "John Doe"
    or his manager is the one who actually speaks the lie is unimportant.
    If "John Doe" refuses to lie, and his manager lies for him, I believe
    "John Doe" is then (IMO) obligated to proceed up the management
    chain until he finds someone who is as outraged as I am.  
    
    IMO...

	I've been a hired gun for the last 6 years, three years last Friday
for ISWS, and 3 years pre-DEC.  I have always felt that my duty was to the
customer.  More than once, I have sided with the customer, either publicly,
or privately, against my management.

	I have a very simple solution.  I go as far forward as I can without
compromising my integrity, then I go back to my management, tell them where
I am, and that I cannot proceed any farther without solving the problem.
Sometimes, that's not very far at all.  So far, I've never had a manager
refuse to face the problem at that point.

	Here at DEC, once, I got shipped off my regular contract to do a
2-day consult for another group on a topic I knew very little about. 
Management had billed me as an "expert". I read up, and basically got
through the two days with TFM at my side.  I went back to my manager and
said "Don't ever do that to me again.  It's not fair to me, it's not fair
to the group who paid some ludicrous amount of money an hour for my time." 
I've never been pulled to do another consult under those circumstances.

	Also, in most cases, I've been on good terms with my customers. 
I've been sent in to handle "problem" accounts with a lot of success.  I'd
like to think it's because I tell the truth...

						--Doug

It sounds like you are getting the correct advise, but I would
like to say:

Do NOT lie to the customer!

WHy? Because:

1. It ain't the right thing to do. You know it (or you would not
have questioned it), I know it (or I wouldn't reply), others know
it (or they wouldn't have replied), KO knows it (it's part of his
philosophy). Some people will never know it.

2. If you lie and it comes out (can and does happen), the manager
that asked you to lie will probably lie about what he requested
and you take the heat all by yourself. The customer is mad, DEC's
reputation took a hit, and your reputation is shot, and you have
a lot less value to everyone. You lose, customer loses, DEC
loses. 

3. Of course you have an obligation to your company (they pay
your salary), but you also have an obligation to the customer
(they are buying your service). They customer expects to be able
to trust you.

Bob-who-has-been-there

    Absolutely do not lie for your manager (not DEC) under any
    circumstance.  If you get a lousy review, raise h--- all the way
    to the top.
    
    Why the several mentions on not getting Personnel involved?  I wouldn't
    either as I consider the whole organization useless, but what were
    your reasons?

RE: .-1 

I used to share the opinion that all of personnel is useless.  Over the past
four or five years, I have had three personnel consultants (at Spitbrook)
who have helped me a lot and one excellent recruiter.

    Personnel are management consultants, not employee advocates.
    
    Lying to a customer in order to accomplish the goal outlined in .0 
    is primarily a business decision.  Not a very good one, as I have
    previously said, but nonetheless it is entirely out of Personnel's
    domain.
    
    They might get involved if corrective action was taken against an
    employee who refused to knuckle under to their manager, but it is
    highly unlikely that they would pass judgement on the merits of the
    procedure; rather, they will be concerned that it is carried out
    in a technically correct fashion, i.e. in accordance with PP&P.
    
    Maybe it's different elsewhere.  It's pretty clear to me that the
    above is true in my neck of the woods.
    
    Al
    

		"Oh what a tangled web we weave,
		 when first we practice to deceive."

					Sir Walter Scott
					1771-1832.    

    Before I escaped field sws a few years ago, I can't count the number of
    times that I was sold to a customer as an "expert" in a particular
    product or industry, when in reality I had never heard of the industry
    before, or my "product expertise" was dependant on traffic enroute to
    the customer site.  (How often the traffic stopped where I could read
    the very recently acquired software manual).
    
    Yep, they were "business decisions" back then too.  Sometimes they
    worked and sometimes they didn't.  The point is that when the deception
    "worked", things came out generally "ok".  But when the deception
    didn't work, usually all h___ broke loose, and Digital was faced with a
    credibility problem.
    
    Aren't we striving for credibility with the customers?  Don't we want
    to achieve more customer satisfaction than just "ok"?  When will field
    sws managers learn to look beyond the end of the month/quarter?
    
    ...sigh...
    Jon

>>3. Of course you have an obligation to your company (they pay
>>your salary), but you also have an obligation to the customer
>>(they are buying your service). 
    
    In reality, isn't it the customer who pays our salaries? If they don't
    buy (for whatever reason) DIGITAL makes less money and we don't get
    paid!
    
    Keith.
    

    Ken Olsen at the State of the Company meeting as quoted in
    MGMT MEMO:

    "Our values are an important part of how we make decisions and
    conduct business. First of all, we believe in honesty -- not just
    when it pays, not just when someone is looking, and not just when
    it's good business."

    "Our belief in honesty has many implications. You can be technically 
    honest, but actually dishonest. You can present everything that's
    factual in such a way that the customer or your boss walks away with a 
    wrong impression. That's dishonest."

    "Remember, it's hard enough staying out of trouble being honest.
    Maintaining a lie is intolerable."

    Re: The original question.
    
    The posting of the question implies you already KNOW the answer.
    What you're looking for is moral (at least) support.  I hope you
    have recieved enough.  
    
    Without getting religious, you might want to take a few moments
    to put issues like this into a larger perspective than the work
    environment.  Not to belittle what we do, but 20 years from now,
    little will remain but your memories.  In the end it's "To thine
    own self be true."
    
    Perhaps a helpful benchmark:  What would you tell a child coming
    to you with an analagous situation at school.  Submit to peer/superior
    pressure or ???  [If you start using excuses like: "Yes, but this
    involves money, career, job or whatever" what you are has already
    been determined.  You're just haggling over price.]