Survey says?

I was sitting quietly ask my desk listening to a debate of the usefulness / uselessness of "polling the audience" ... aka "business surveys". Permission had been given by the powers to be to send out an internal survey, so long as there were no more than four questions. Even with just casually listening, it was clear that the purposes of the survey were different for the two people doing the most talking.

After the discussion had passed - with no real outcome or decision - I turned to one co-worker who had been in the debate and said "hey - is your computer working alright, email-wise anyway?" and she said "yep, seems to be". "You should call into the help desk and let them know," I said. "But ... it's fine" she said, rather puzzled. "Right," I responded "and I'll bet they'd wanna know that. After all, you were just saying that you'd wanna know all the things that were going right about your proposal." She grimaced. "Well, I do wanna know those things - but letting the help desk know that all is well won't really give them anything useful" she admitted.

"Hmmm", I said. "So you remember a couple months ago - when I called that florist to thank them for, essentially, doing their job? And how shocked they were that I wasn't calling to complain? I guess it's kinda like that. The survey either needs to be about what IS going right or what isn't." I went on to explain that I've always felt that folks have no problem telling you the things that are broken but don't always think to mention what's going right. And I think ya' CAN learn from hearing both - it's just one is more urgent than the other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In a related "practicing the art of asking the right question" note, Kat asked the right question after my last scribbling. My response is that I'm no longer reluctant about the project because I'm no longer starting the project. The nice part of contract employment is having the opportunity to do something else.

Thus far "something else" seems to be along the lines of whittling down the things I have, stashing what I do not require in the next year or so, and prepare for shaking my own snow globe.

My survey says I swept the board and won the grand prize, and I intend to claim it.