In my mind it starts with hiring managers using correct terminology. Do a search for "software engineer" or "computer scientist" on LinkedIn or any other job site, and see how many web developer and database admin jobs show up. This isn't to belittle all web development, since some can get pretty creative in their optimizations (the "science" part of CS), but many simply have HTML and Javascript as requirements.
Once managers begin to understand the skill set they actually need and start asking the right questions, things will start looking better.
I'm surprised no one mentioned this so far. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Any IT person worth his salt should have thoroughly documented the configuration, standard software loadout, group policies, audit policies, etc... such that if one does get hit by a bus, the organization won't be crippled. Having handed over the keys on more than one occasion, I can honestly say that ip_freely_2000 is right, maintain a couple of your own hooks in case the new guy doesn't work out, but take a step back and enable him to do his job. Note the word choice, your job as manager is to enable him, not just turn your back and let him sink or swim.
For our more visual learners:
Am I the only one who finds arbitrary restrictions in games, either because the technology couldn't cope, or because the game designer knows how you want to play better than you do, or just because, really annoying? If there's a door there, it should open. If it won't open, there shouldn't be a door there. How hard is this? Putting a door there that's never going to open just frustrates the player and destroys the suspension of disbelief. It reminds them that they're not really in this world they can see, they're in some arbitrarily limited construct devised by a "product manager" at some company to try to screw a few bob out of them. Of course there need to be some limits on the world, because the technology isn't infinite; good game design should make those limits look natural so that the player never even notices that the limit is there.
Your complaints are valid, but your biggest beef is the visual queueing, and many games don't get that right. I don't think "it's a door, it should open" is the right approach. Assassin's Creed would look stupid if you had an antire city with a couple dozen doors. Saints Row and GTA would look similarly stupid if the only buildings with doors were ones you could enter. That's maybe 3 dozen in Saints Row 3, and the city has over a hundred buildings. A better approach would be "how do we tell the user they can enter this door?". I'd say Doom did it pretty well. Mario and his assorted pipes, not so much.
All good questions, but many are still premature. Remember this is due to be released in October, which means going gold sometime ~6 weeks prior (or something like that). They'd have to have things wrapped up in August, and we're in April. Plenty of time for a death march. This is all my speculation.
Is the gameplay as carefully balanced and the world at least as immersive, large, and interesting as Skyrim plus expansions?
I doubt they could do much about world size now, being so late in development. Immersion depends entirely on the players suspension of disbeleif. Some people find the old-school Thief games incredibly immersive, I just found them to be a pain in the ass. All it takes is one awkward NPC statement to break some people out of it. Gamers are incredibly fickle that way.
No amount of eye candy can make up for weak gameplay mechanics or a small world. Is the dialogue matched to gameplay?
Well said, eye candy can't make up for crap gameplay. Just look at DNF (sort of), or any of the free to play chinese MMOs. I would bet the dialogue has already been recorded, any "matching" is probably being worked on now.
Is it matched to the gamer's style?
I doubt we'll see something like "That was awesome how you did that triple backflip off that boulder and stabbed two guys in the back." The number of things a player can do is just too large to enumerate every response. I bet the most we'll see is "good job".
Is it close enough to bug free that immersion isn't lost?
It's still in what I'd guess is a beta. That's a question come October.
Is the mechanic for buying and selling goods balanced?
Another question for October.
Does the game support all possible playing styles without falling apart in some way?
I doubt any game could effectively do this. The number of possible styles is just too large, there's any number of variations of Rambo-ing, sniping, fist fighting, etc...
If it's worth it's salt, you'll have to come up with the appropriate counter to whatever you're facing.
Is the AI at least decent?
Which part of A.I.? That encompasses movement, facial expressions of NPCs, weapon choices of enemies, motion of enemies, tactics of enemies, weapon behaviors (i.e. jamming or inaccuracy), tactics of allies...
I'm assuming you mean the tactics of enemies. Looking at gamasutra's articles (thinking the Uncharted A.I. scripting engine), they still have plenty of time to refine it. Other things, such as hiding behind vs inside a rock, may be harder to find and fix.
I know someone that recently moved to Austin. On the side of their house is a little box that says "AT&T Fiber". When they called AT&T to ask about internet service: "I'm sorry, we don't have service in your area".
I guess it could be fast if they knew where there infrastructure was in the first place...
Exactly this. I've known more than one person struggling to make ends meet and have heard a number of stories of places like Wal-Mart intentionally limiting a persons hours to avoid having to pay health care or benefits for their employees. Regardless of that employees needs or desires, they may only get 15-20 hours a week. I take it the Economist hasn't looked at other news lately and seen mothers shoplifting school supplies and clothing for their kids.
They just don't have time to really get to a real solution because you have this "industry standard" of one IT guy per 200 employees.
Even better... They lost $2.4 million and have to raise the prices on their customers. Yet this Time-Warner buyout is supposed to be in the billions?
Who the hell is fitting the bill for that?
The thing that first came to mind for me is the cooling. Salt water is much different than fresh water. There will be deposits, evaporites, corrosion, etc... Also, does any body know how well salt water + small fishes cool a nuclear reactor?
Did she learn from Stephen Elop?
"Been through Hell? Whaddya bring back for me?" -- A. Brilliant