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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nightcloak" data-source="post: 1987341" data-attributes="member: 23862">I'm going to jump into the fire by first supporting Whisperfoot and then by pointing out how the fans are right also. I sure that'll make everyone happy  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> First, as a business manager with experience in budgets and working within established goals as defined by a parent company, board, etc. I can assure the following. WotC is working within whatever guidelines Hasbro has established. And as Whisperfoot has stated - Hasbro has their own issues to worry about for all of their divisions. Further, WotC is taking those directives and applying them to their departments as they best see to accomplish said goals. That doesn't leave a lot of room for the developers, or the other departments. They could very well be doing the best they can with the available budget, goals, resources made available by the layers of management above them. Whisperfoot is right to stand up for the developers. They are mostly likely doing the best they can within the established environment and company objectives. Considering how lean Wotc has become, they are most likely excelling in that environment (most people in the RPG industry love the business, and those who work in an industry they genuinely like are motivated to excel above corporate standards). Product dissatisfaction needs to be taken to the leadership directly who is in a position to either change the conditions the developers work in or take the case above them to their bosses. Second, as a manager in the field of production and distribution, I have experience with quality control. Quality control is the means of assuring low budget success in the modern JIT environment. As an example, GE was on the ropes many years ago. One of their problems was the unreliability if their products. The new CEO came in, issued some value directives (and fired any manager that didn't sign on!) and issued one major goal: There would be only 6 errors in one million parts. Everyone thought that was more than ambitious, but out right crazy. The thing is, he did it. GE quickly became successful, went out of debt, and made butt loads of money: He created some 4 billion dollars in wealth plus saved the pensions of tens of thousands of people, all by issuing standards to management and standards to quality control and then making them happen. And he did it without losing money.The point of all of this. Developers may be working within an established environment, but the management at WotC can use their position as leaders to change that environment. If GE can hit 6 errors per million without losing money then the management at WotC can get the developers of their products the standards and resources needed to hit the goals of their job.</blockquote>

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