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>"They wanted it all; they didn't want to pay for it." The above happened on almost every project I have worked for over the years. Q: "Can we take feature x
by jazzyk 10y ago
>"They wanted it all; they didn't want to pay for it."
The above happened on almost every project I have worked for over the years.
Q: "Can we take feature x out of the plan?"
A: "We can't release the product/project without it"
Q: "Can we then add 2 more months to the release?"
A: "Absolutely impossible, the client will not accept it"
You are correct, the reason is severe (and systemic) lack of communication:
Product-roadmap planning either does not involve technical personnel at all, or at least not until the very last minute, when you are brought in to essentially rubber-stamp the plan. Saying "no" takes a lot of courage at this stage, you are seen as incapable/negative.
The underlying problem here is that we are seen as mere technicians/workers, not planners or strategists (we are partially to be blamed for this, but that's a separate topic).
- jnbiche 10y agoI've also had exchanges very similar to the above. What I think happens is that managers think that we're negotiating. Negotiating for what? I have no idea, but for many managers, it's their default assumption. In fact, we're not negotiating. We're describing the situation to the best of our understanding. Indeed, when often these situations have started to feel like negotiations, I've stopped and emphasized that this is not a negotiation, this is my very best estimate as to what I need to get the job done, nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes this gets through to them.