IT == Stress ?

Wow! Infy Bangalore looks really amazing today. With many Keralites coming in ethnic wear (men in mundu and women in onakoodi, a form of sari) and the Kannadikas coming in their ethinic wear (celebrating the eve of Gowri Puja), the DC looks really colorful. The women look especially elegant in their Indian wear (at least to me) which is welcome break from their Friday Western casual wear. There was a pookalam (Floral carpet in Malayalam) contest on the occasion of Onam and I saw about 7-8 ones, some very well done. Mallus make their mark wherever they go, but this goes to say that those marks are really pretty too ;)

No more farewells or treats for you! This would be what I would get to hear from most of my friends as I leave Bangalore. With the transfer to the Pune DC, I might be the first and only ACON from my batch (ESU May 2004) to cover all the DCs with ES practice. This is fortunately or unfortunately is a chain of coincidences. The Pune visit being merely because the only available connectivity to UBS being from Pune and I being a part of the testing team would need to be there. I got my tickets and guest house bookings done quite in advance as opposed my usual late-latheef fashion. Guess I’m learning something fom all these transfers.

Well, my sis (Ambily or Sandhya as I prefer to call her) is coming down to Bangalore tomorrow for her TCS walk-in. I’m preparing the unit testing documents late tonight to make myself free for tomorrow. For the build team it is a working day.

On the subject of Stress Management, I have come to realize that the Software Industry is plagued by the enormous everyday stress of executing projects. The requirements changes and the tough problem solving situations can easily vex even the most cool-headed ones out there. There are ever changing team roles and responsibilities. In such a complex and uncertain environment, the individual needs to find the job both challenging and comfortable.

The mantra here is keeping your cool. The one whose stress management is the best will emerge the winner. I must appreciate the management style of Shiv (my ex-roommate) who turned around the DHL project. There can be various ways to achieve this. Firstly, not let the problem overwhelm you. This means that even critical or urgent issues can be thought out with a relaxed frame of mind. Secondly, accept your limitations. Overlooking this might lead to over committing oneself to the point of failing to meet deadlines. Thirdly, manage your time smartly. The yardstick should not be how much time you put into it, but how best to make use of the available time. This is a totally different way of thinking I’m getting used to. Last but definitely not the least, maintain a good sense of humour. As Shive has often proven to me, good humour can inculcate team spirit and gain confidence every quickly. He says sometimes even a bit of clowning around goes a lot way ;)