[BC] The Nextel bandwagon

[Edwin Bukont]

Thought I would join in the sharing  :-)
 
I have had the pleasure of three extended encounters with Nextel folks outside of the usual meeting them on site.
 
1.  Was a neighbor, a senior HR manager for Nextel.  Quiet, polite and a full time liar.  We never quite figured out his problem, but he seemed to like causing trouble in underhanded ways in the community.  And the one guy who never helped shovel the townhouse parking lot.  I can only imagine how well he did in managing people.
 
2.  Nextel engineer A.  Nextel was on roof of building with my studios.  It seemed every time they did any work, something would happen to either an STL or satellite dish.  One time I had the opportunity to watch their work practices,,,and raised a fuss with the landlord, who wasn't the nicest character either.  They sent an a so-called engineer over to investigate my complaint.  When I pointed out my five items on the roof, his response was. 'there's a radio station here?  that's abandoned stuff, it's in the way and we have clear rights to this roof".
 
3. Nextel engineer B.  This is my favorite.  Guy was enrolled in the MS Project Mgt. program.  He was in a very detailed oriented class, in which our group project was to create the GANTT chart for a real project at Hanger Orthepedic.  At some point in the class, our little group realized that this fellow was not only on the wrong page, but in the wrong book.  When we questioned his missing knowledge of the PMBOK, which is Bible for those working under PMI methods, he said he had never bothered to read it, because he didn't like to read and most of his work was bullshit, that's what discussion is, bullshitting.  It gets better.  Knowing he was Nextel, I had to ask, "So how do you verify software changes, there has to be a documented process".  He said, 'No", when Nextel checks a software upgrade , they do it in a low risk area like a rural section of Ohio, because it's too difficult to check software updates in major metro areas.  The software is checked in the rural area, and then deployed in the metro.  NO wonder they can't handle their network traffic.  He said in the years he was there, he never saw a post-deployment report!!

Edwin Bukont CSRE, DRB, CBNT 
V- 240.417.2475; F- 240.368.1265