Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

When building and maintaining a system, the fundamental question is, “Whom am I trying to please?” This post offers a different answer.

User, Customer, Manager, Boss? What do I call the person I am trying to please when building or maintaining a system? Whom am I trying to please?

Here is a suggestion: The Livelihood Provider

If we don’t please that person, we lose our paycheck, our livelihood. The Livelihood Provider may not pay a cent, but somehow, through the magic of virtualized virtually virtual worlds…if we don’t please that person, we have no pay, no livelihood.

I am the Livelihood Provider for all those folks at Google. Same for the folks at Facebook. If I am not pleased, they lose their livelihood. I suppose I am pretty important.

Who is pretty important for you?