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rsrandazzo

05MAY13 - Release Dates on the 777 and Our Silence on Same

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Gents-

 

(I'm using this term loosely, as a few to whom this post is directed have failed rather spectacularly to act as such...)

 

I have probably discussed this 3,000 times in this forum, but based on some of the behavior that some folks displayed last night, perhaps it is time for a quick refresher.

 

Question:  Why are we not giving you a release date for the 777?

 

Answer:  Because we have a long-standing policy that we do not project release dates until we are certain we have a releasable candidate on our hands.

 

Discussion:  This policy is not arbitrary and it is not done for our amusement.  We have maintained this policy for 16 years for one simple and straight-forward reason...  We do not know when we will decide that the product is:

  • Finished
  • Meets our expectations for product quality.
  • Meets our expectations for completeness.

 

Anyone who tells you that they can model something as sophisticated as a modern airliner **accurately** while also predicting a release date has obviously no demonstrable success in doing so.

 

We could release the 777 to market today, and it would meet the needs and expectations of 95% of our users in about 80% of circumstances.  To some companies in some industries- that might make good business sense.  At PMDG, that would be an irresponsible lapse of quality control.

 

We want our product to satisfy the needs of 99% of our customers in 95% of situations.  Obviously- we are estimating here since there is no way to measure this accurately- but after 16 years of doing this we have a pretty darn good feel for when a product is accurate, complete and of significant quality.

 

One of the bonds we have with our customers is that we will not release a product to you if we have any concerns that it will cause you frustration by failing in ways that are preventable or predictable.  Our customers have told us time and time again that you trust us to get it right and to release a product when it is ready.

 

That is the most important aspect of our relationship with our customers and we refuse to break that trust by putting ourselves under pressure to make some arbitrarily decided release date in order to avoid the ire evoked by continually shifting release dates.

 

There is absolutely NO point to us projecting "we think we will release on DDMMMYY" unless we have a completed product on our hands that meets our quality expectations.  And for that reason- we don't guess... 

 

I'm sorry that some people appear to feel that they are entitled to estimates.  We disagree- and in this case we are the ones who get to decide.

 

We much prefer giving you a product that we know you can use, without excuses, on day one-  so that is what we will continue to do.

 

 


Robert S. Randazzo coolcap.gif

PLEASE NOTE THAT PMDG HAS DEPARTED AVSIM

You can find us at:  http://forum.pmdg.com

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I don't understand why people are demanding release dates, it's almost like we have paid for the product already.  You really don't owe us an explaination, you don't owe us anything at all; if you decided to pull the plug on the project that would be your choice.

 

The only slight criticism i have is that unlike the NGX it seems (to me at least) the whole release process has been more distant, less exciting; like a release from a large company such as Bethesda or EA.  Again completely your choice, and I'll still be buying, but i am not as excited.


Ian R Tyldesley

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Haha I sense the frustration Robert. I was one who didnt quite understand the release date issue with the ngx. But after using the ngx I can see why. Dont let it get to you!

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Well put.

 

You can never please everybody, there's always that small bunch who will always complain about something, by saying they wont buy such & such, but when it gets released they're all so excited and praising the company for the 'long awaited' product they have been complaining about.

 

I much appreciate your dedication you put into these projects as I'm sure they can really wear you out most days. Its just that small minority that were spoilt when they were small and have not yet figured out the concept of patience and keeping those sort of comments to them-selves.

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I imagine at times it's very difficult to remain professional with such a bombardment surrounding a big PMDG release. Regardless of the apparent hassle this poses, it's customers demanding your product. I know this doesn't excuse anyone just saying.

 

Many of us trust in your practices Sir!

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In the near future (whenever that is) the T7 will be out , everyone who lost their temper last night will without question have bought this product, the forums will be flooded with "best product ever" posts and we will have all forgotten these past 24 hours happened.

 

A man can dream. 

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Thanks for update..

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Well said Robert, I am enjoying the MD-11, NGX and J41 immensly. I know I can depend on PMDG to give me good products that will challenge me for decades yet, so personally I have no problem waiting.

 

I'll be ordering the T7 manual set tomorrow to prep for the big day :)

 

Keep up the excellent work!

 

Thanks,


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Well said Robert. As I'm sure all of you at PMDG know from experience, you can't please all of your customers.

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Don't worry, we have the Majestic D8 to play with until the T7 release.


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First of all Robert I would like to thank you for this post ! I totally agree that it's impossible to give release dates specially for a complex product like that, there's no way of really estimating one...

 

I also think a lot of people were not asking about any release date, but just about an update on the B777 Dev. I've been watching the entire streaming yesterday and I've seen many comments about that.

 

I also just think that people were expecting something about the B777 from what you said here : http://forum.avsim.net/topic/405274-17apr13-upcoming-fancon13-give-me-your-thoughts/

 

 

This is not an evening to promote or demonstrate the 777.  (I will, of course give an update on that topic and I might even slip and throw some information out that you haven't heard here- but you will have to wait and see...

 

 

Anyway- let me know what you want to hear.  I promise two things:  1) I will mention something new about the 777 that you don't already know.  2) I will poke fun at Tom...

 

 

No offence Robert, and thanks again for your meeting, I love listening about your experience, as I am finishing my CPL right now...

 

Regards.

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Awww i thought this was a release date announcement lol

Not helping...


Elijah Hoyt
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CFI, CFII, CMEL, CSEL, CSES, IFR

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Hang in there; software development is horrendously difficult!  Don't let the peanut gallery get to you, and best of luck with the final phases of your work.

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