When an IT Staffer Gets Thrown Under the Bus: Page 2

We all know software companies sell buggy software. It is the nature of the business. But how a company portrays the software to potential customers is a decision made by the management team. Now that I’m running a software company, I realize this is a very fine line to walk. What I have learned is that if you don’t want to go down a deep, dark rabbit hole where customer support calls emulate a big hose pumping gallons of water into the hole, then don’t sell vaporware.

A software product must provide some level of value beyond what a customer can get from writing custom code or from the competition. The overall value must outweigh the bugs -- and there will be bugs. (Notice I didn’t say “there will be blood”; although some software support teams would argue that point.)

As for the customers, they aren’t completely off the hook. They also need to do thorough due diligence, such as calling company references and Googling the company and software product name. Better yet, they should go a step further and Google the executive team to see if they have any history of leading software companies that mislead customers in the past. If a customer still is not sure, then they should try negotiating a money back guarantee.

Now back to poor Jared. I have seen too many good people being thrown under the bus in various software firms. Just as most of our parents told us as children, if you do not have something nice to say, then say nothing at all. Management needs to play the positive role model and set a culture that doesn’t lead to backstabbing and the need to constantly cover your rear end.

If bad examples are set and poor quality software is delivered, there are bound to be more bus accidents along the way that will ultimately lead to a train wreck for the entire company.