Re:Ask HN: As a team lead how to handle project going off th...
by ryandrake on Thursday July 12, 2018 @04:24PM
(#17518309)
This is basically the opposite of what I would advise. Count the number of “probably” and “good chance” in that reply!
1. A small course correction can work wonders early on, but if you wait until the ship is seconds from the iceberg there’s nothing anyone can do. Or use the cancer analogy: early detection can be the difference between life and death.
2. Yes, sometimes deadlines are padded and you’re silently expected to miss a little. Sometimes they are not and you’re not. How do you know which one applies to you and your project?
3. Having private conversations is fine but private conversations can be denied and privately made decisions do not become the broadly understood plan of record, leading to confusion and ambiguity, which are risk multipliers.
4. A positive attitude is good and hiding real problems, evading responsibility, and playing corporate games might work in the short term. However if that becomes what you are known for, it will limit your career long term.
1. A small course correction can work wonders early on, but if you wait until the ship is seconds from the iceberg there’s nothing anyone can do. Or use the cancer analogy: early detection can be the difference between life and death.
2. Yes, sometimes deadlines are padded and you’re silently expected to miss a little. Sometimes they are not and you’re not. How do you know which one applies to you and your project?
3. Having private conversations is fine but private conversations can be denied and privately made decisions do not become the broadly understood plan of record, leading to confusion and ambiguity, which are risk multipliers.
4. A positive attitude is good and hiding real problems, evading responsibility, and playing corporate games might work in the short term. However if that becomes what you are known for, it will limit your career long term.