Friday, December 10, 2004

There’s nothing the government likes to do better than invent stuff. Reinventing is even better, then, right?

Our district spent some money to send me to some basic computer classes - to learn how to become more proficient in things like MS Excel and MS Access. The idea was that we’re using these things, I should know how to actually maximize my use of them.

OK, so I came back from the Access class all fired up to create a database for managing our process logs - basic document tracking for the pieces of process we receive and send in a given month. That database has been a great tool and has saved me a lot of time and aggravation when it comes time to do my monthly reports to HQ.

Yesterday I was working on that monthly report for November, but I noticed that I was missing a report from the criminal desk. I sent her an email reminding her of the report. She responded back that HQ has her working this pilot program for the process logs and that she’s still trying to figure it out, she’ll get the report to me as soon as she’s able. “OK,” I said, “Is this just for criminal process or will it include civil as well?”

Turns out HQ has developed this tracking system that they’re planning to launch next month! This is the first I’ve heard about this. So this database that I spent hours fine-tuning and preparing to launch within our own district is going to have been a wasted effort. Ya gotta love that. Your tax dollars at work, people!

LATER: Then again, maybe it’s not a bad thing that they didn’t put the word out about the new system. They’ve been promoting a new payroll system for longer than I’ve been around and we still haven’t seen it implemented. We even got email last year with training dates scheduled that they had to cancel because it wasn’t ready. Why it takes more than 3 years to get that system launched is a mystery. In the meantime, I continue to battle a DOS-based program that is ridiculous.