Wouldn't one buy/modify the software to bend to the way the user conducts business, and NOT make the user bend to software's fucked up idea of how other people do business?

In theory, one would. In theory. We have software & websites built for us that don't work the way we work because management and IT often fail to ask the end users what they need. I'm sorry, Allyson. That always sucks.

Wouldn't one buy/modify the software to bend to the way the user conducts business, and NOT make the user bend to software's fucked up idea of how other people do business?

You ... don't want my answer. Trust me. It's not an answer I agree with, but it's one that I've learned through bitter experience.

Wouldn't one buy/modify the software to bend to the way the user conducts business, and NOT make the user bend to software's fucked up idea of how other people do business?

This is the Peoplesoft curse that has been inflicted on almost every university in the last ten years. Universities are creative places where people do things in different ways. Peoplesoft is a tyrant that accepts no deviation from its revealed laws. All must tremble before it.

What Jilli said. It sucks. (which is why I haven't seen my paystub in... six months? A year?)

bitter experience

Allyson, I work for a multi-national company and we have software that we have to use every day that neither works like we were told it would nor works for the end user. We actually have software that we had built for a specific use and cost us close to $2million, that we can't use and are getting ready to trash. So sorry though. I feel your pain, really I do. Now I just have zen about it, because I spent 17 months pissed off and complained to everyone I could think of (as did my boss) and it made no difference so now I'm all lalala about it but it took 17 months to get there.

Now I'm all double-plus paranoid about my Stupid Thesis, since it's about picking software that would be used by people who won't like it no matter what. Argh. But I do have like 25 pages written, so that's something.

since it's about picking software that would be used by people who won't like it no matter what.

Soooo.... it's all YOUR fault?

Wouldn't one buy/modify the software to bend to the way the user conducts business, and NOT make the user bend to software's fucked up idea of how other people do business?

Take what Rick said, and substitute "SAP" whereever he used "Peoplesoft".

Starting Monday, I'm going to be QAing the E-Commerce module for three weeks -- yes, pulled out of my application developer job, which is currently in the midst of redesigning everything just about because the SAP business system is so fucked up in relation to our business model (publishing! which is not like manufacturing ball bearings, damn it).

My evil plan is to be so awesomely nit-picky about the QA I'm going to do that I'm going to bury their managers beneath an avalanche of complaints and major bug reports and make them trade me back because they really don't want somebody pointing out that the Emperor's New Software has no clothes on it.

I work for a company that makes highly customizable reporting software, so I'm all for customizing software to meet the user's needs. But I would be all for it anyway.

OMG, Peoplesoft!!!

We've been cursed with peoplesoft too - all our accounting stuff/hr stuff is done on it and now -- they're switching Registration and Records to it. . . .