dkretz said:

What you experienced is in fact the primary method employed by the DP process managers for trying to ameliorate the consequences of their system. When a perceived deficiency is detected, it is defined as a "special case" and given "special treatment".

it's actually become quite humorous to see all the efforts to "route around the damage" caused by the bad workflow. they're repeating rounds, skipping rounds, limiting people, cajoling people, it's a cavalcade of exceptions to the rule... and hey, it makes perfect sense to "make someone happy" (i.e., shut them up) if you can do it by doing them a favor. meanwhile, if you're not a "special case" and you don't get "special treatment", you'd better enjoy the end of the line. -bowerbird