My roof
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Based on this: http://www.annashipman.co.uk/jfdi.html#roof-bug-fixing
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My roof
- 1. My roof Anna Shipman Infrastructure & Tools @annashipman
- 4. They say it’s fixed
- 7. I want them to test it
- 11. Don’t be afraid
- 13. My roof Anna Shipman Infrastructure & Tools @annashipman
Editor's Notes
- Last December, I had a leak in my flat. Water through floorboards, panicked, pulling up the bathroom floor, pull off side of bath, coming though wall.Three weeks later, surveyor.My neighbour has illegally erected a structure, causing damage to their balcony causing leak in my flat.- 00:45 – 0:00
- 1960s housing estate, so their balcony comes halfway into my flat.00:00 – 00:15
- Actual details a bit hazy. Hole in balcony, dot dot dot, leak in my flat. But no reason shouldn't be - I'm not a surveyor/architect/builder.So great, they fill in the holes…00:35
- So they fill in holes, phone me tell me leak is fixed. Great - insurance. But the day insurance – IT RAINS and water starts bubbling up! They haven't fixed the leak!00:55So I phone them again, and this time they send a builder round, and this guydoesn't get it. Doesn't understand why coming in halfway up the wall.Have to take him outside and explain.
- This is the point at which I realise this is like a software project. When you have a bug in your code, often the cause is somewhere else entirely, and in order to diagnose it, you really need to have a view of the bigger picture2:05Housing association phones back says it's a problem in the join between their balcony and my wall.
- They are going to install flashing - thing for waterproofing rooves. Fine. But this is a software project now. I want them to test it. 02:15
- When we find a bug in a software program we test it to check we've fixed it. They said they'd fixed it before but they hadn't. How will I know they've really fixed it this time?I want them to do a water test.For some reason they are really reluctant to do this.2:50But then they send round the roofer, and he is a true software developer. He explains to me how it should work.
- 03:05He explains to me how it should workIf the drain can't handle the amount of water on the balcony it will overflow.Firstly he's going to hose water directly onto the flashing to see if it's working.Then over side to see what would happen if it did overflow.Yes, isolate the problem so you can see what the actual cause is. First, flashing. Balcony floods, drain blocked.Might think this is obvious but another reason we do testing is to surface the obviousThen pours over sideAt this point water in my flatLooks closer sees hole05:30
- Two causes to problem. Not the ones the surveyor and the builder found. Roofer finds both the causes by his methodical approach. I am confident that the problem is actually fixed. So unblocks drain, cements over hole and after five months, the leak in my flat is actually fixed5.05So why am I telling you this story? Apart from my belief that everyone should be more like software developers!05:15Two reasons.One is to give those of you who aren't already developers a bit of an insight into how software developers think.Whatever your job is, to a greater or lesser degree, you will do this in your job already.But it's something to bear in mind when talking to software developers.
- If you have a problem with a piece of software, GDS or outside, the single most useful thing you can do is describe the exact steps to recreate the problem.When the developer picks it up, she can recreate the problem, see it happen for herself and then when she's made the code change, she can know she's fixed it.06:05The second thing is what I learned from this. Don't be scared of things outside your area of expertise.
- Don't be scared of things outside your area of expertise. Just because it's not your field doesn't mean you won't understand it. The reason the story about the mystery structure, dot dot dot, leak in my flat didn't make sense to me was not because I'm not a surveyor, it's because it didn't make sense. I just thought oh, it's buildings I won't understand And four months later I still had a leak in my flat06:35Some things not just job titles can be a barrier to entryYou might have seen this diagram near the infrastructure team desks
- how the pieces of GOV.UK fit together Jamie did this and it's very usefulbut also if you don't know it, intimidatingYou might think you won't understand itYou canJust like we developers should feel we are able to understand the work of the Operations or Office of the CTO team.07:15Other teams's work, even software development, is not some mysterious magicthat only wizards can do. SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS SOMETHING SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOULIKE THE ROOFERSo this is kind of an offer, come as me, infrastructure, developersAnd one more thing about developers – you probably already know. I can guarantee that this afternoon at least three people will come and tell me the title of my talk is inaccurate.So if you want to know about GOV.UK architecture come and ask - me, one of the other developers or web ops.One other thing about software developers that you probably already know – I can guarantee that 3 people will come up to me this afternoon and point out the title of my talk is inaccurate.Thanks.8:05