The test development environment

This is less about computer development environment and more about physical development environment. In the past I've been in the unfortunate situation of going off-site to develop. It went slow and I got phyically sick at least once a week. This situation is about to happen again.

I bring this up because a test set we are working on is being sent to the customer's site. In the earlier parts of the contract the tests will be developed here. Due to the lateness of the UUT's being developed, the test development process will be moved to their site, where the UUTs will be. They originally promised to send UUT's for us to verify our tests in April 2007 but changed the agreement, rather ignored the agreement and changed what we had to do. That meant the we have to send a test set up to there site and the use their UUT's. The same UUT's that their engineers will be using at the same time we would like use them. Or maybe we have the midnight to 6am shift to use the UUT's.

This winds up putting all the pressure on us. We're in a strange place working the test set. If we need technician help we have to find one of there technicians to help us. Same with tools, seating, and, most of all, UUT's. We will be at their mercy on when we can use the UUT's and guess who will be at the bottom of the priority list for use of the UUTs. (answer: us)

The only good thing about this situation is we will have at least some access to the UUT's to complete our test verification. Nothing else is good about it. We'll be out of our environment, staying in hotels, away from family, and eating out all the time. It gets old quick.

As for me, I'm only going up there occasionally, I can get my stuff done down here. Since I'm a single dad, it would be tough for me to go up there for 3 months like some of the others.

Have a great day