Nearly a year ago I became the task lead for a project at work. It meant steady work, something I’d not had since I went [special/variable] part time. It was also kind of scary – being responsible for a portion of a project. I had a steady stream of files to convert to HTML – enough to pass a fair number off to in-office html coders.I even got to go into DC and meet the clients (something I’d never done as a full-time web manager).

All was well and good when I was just converting the word documents to HTML using templates, but in the spring or early summer the clients wanted to switch to using online forms to convert the documents. This would not have been a problem, but the forms were very buggy and not at all intuitive. The training I received was spent mostly listing the bugs in the software and process. Nevertheless, the client wanted the files completed by using the forms, which meant we needed to convert everything to HTML anyway, then upload them with the forms.

Small documents were not too bad, but when a document need a table of contents, we had to create a new sub form for each item in the toc. The process doubled and sometimes tripled the time it had been taking by using HTML templates only.

So, beginning in the spring and up until about an hour ago, I was consistently behind with the files. I never caught up – never finished a batch before three or four would come in. The client and the SME’s became impatient as did my project manager. The file turnaround delay was compounded by my taking some time off for vacations and family issues including a funeral, my Internet connection issues and and a few other unrelated, but deadline driven, projects.

I finished the final batch and sent them back to the client today. I’d planned on finishing up before 2008, and now that I have, I feel partly free and partly empty. Nothing, work-related, is hanging over my head (except updating my resume and a narrative on why I deserve a raise after more than 4 years of part time work).  I guess I should kick back and enjoy the rest of the day and tomorrow, because [hopefully] I’ll be getting more files soon.