Current mood:

cranky

On The Subject of Unknown Durations
"Can we use Machine A as a warm backup?"
"No, Machine A is currently in use investigating the impact of a DB upgrade for our entire system"
"Will that be completed before we need this backup"
"I don't know that. The investigation is open ended it needs to be thoroughly"
"If you set a date that the investigation will be 'done by' they we can make a decision on this"
"Indeed but I can only estimate a timescale for a job such as this. I cannot currently be certain"
"But if you say 'it will be done by x' Then you'll get it done. Otherwise if you leave it open ended you'll never get it done"

Which part of "I cannot currently be certain" was unclear you dumbass. When you ask me to ensure that an upgrade won't cause any problems its a big job how do you define a completion date for something that has no definition like 'investigate'. sheesh