I’ve had two phone calls today that should have been e-mails.
First was someone requesting a code rollback in an app in a test system because a change (currently under test mind you) was conflicting with some testing in a downstream app.
So the tester in question calls me, a new to the company CONTRACTOR, to request this. This call does not include the party responsible at the user level for the application being tested that needs to be rolled back. Once I asked he be included in an e-mail he was able to come up with another solution not requiring a code rollback.
Second call was the consumer of a data file we submitted to its consumer for test yesterday. I receive a call with a list of issues. This is not documented ANY FREAKING WHERE and I’m liable to forget half of it.
Things like this should ALWAYS be handled in e-mail. The retention rate of READ info is much better than HEARD info. E-mails can be REFERED BACK TO and can represent an AUDIT TRAIL.
Please, people, USE THE FREAKING e-mail.
There, now I feel better.