4 ms·

To rephrase maccard's comment: postpone it explicitly rather than explicitly. If you silently chip the task into the tall grass, then they are left with ambigu

To rephrase maccard's comment: postpone it explicitly rather than explicitly. If you silently chip the task into the tall grass, then they are left with ambiguity and frustration. If you are explicit, then you give them an opportunity to convince you of its value. If you respect them as a colleague, listen to them and argue with them. If you don't respect them, talk to your manager so they stop coming to you.

Swizec 10y ago
I meant noncritical like cleaning out your closet, donating that pile of clothes you never wear, or doing the dishes. At work, the correct response is to consult a project manager person and ask: "Which project would you like me to deprioritize, in favor of this new project?". There are people whose entire job it is to balance stakeholder concerns and decide what you should be working on today/this week/this month/this quarter. Use them. If you're in a position or organization where that's your job, then make your priorities public. When someone asks you to do X, explain that you're already doing Y. If you can't come to an ad-hoc agreement about priorities, talk to a higher up. If you're the last higher up in the chain, then, shit man, hire more people. But the basic principle is this: If it's not on the roadmap, why are you working on it? If it's not the next most important thing on the roadmap, why are you working on it?
- afarrell 10y ago
  Ah. Yes I'll agree (though the husband in me says I should still be explicit when I postpone tasks). There is value in squashing unambiguous bugs that get reported even if they don't fit into whe broader theme of what you are working on.
- crispyambulance 10y ago
  On the other hand, assiduously doing ONLY what the PM has designated to the exclusion of everything else is a recipe for misery and organizational dysfunction. There has to be some slack for creativity, problem-solving, and some unstructured collaboration. I run into problems all the time in a "cross-functional" role with people who refuse to lift their nose from the grindstone unless specifically commanded by their boss.
  - Swizec 10y ago
    Of course, "Use your judgement". I try to fulfill small asks quickly, as time permits. For bigger asks, I work with the person to get them slotted into the roadmap. Same approach for bugs. If something comes up where it's not absolutely clear that it's a critical production bug, I go ask the roadmap guy whether this is more or less critical than what I'm working on. The idea isn't that he's my boss and I only do ahat he says, but that he has broader insight into the business and criticality of various things. Sometimes something can be terribe and critical and everyone gets up in a huff, but it's still not worth doing instead of the business critical project you're working on.

Swizec 10y ago

I meant noncritical like cleaning out your closet, donating that pile of clothes you never wear, or doing the dishes. At work, the correct response is to consult a project manager person and ask: "Which project would you like me to deprioritize, in favor of this new project?". There are people whose entire job it is to balance stakeholder concerns and decide what you should be working on today/this week/this month/this quarter. Use them. If you're in a position or organization where that's your job, then make your priorities public. When someone asks you to do X, explain that you're already doing Y. If you can't come to an ad-hoc agreement about priorities, talk to a higher up. If you're the last higher up in the chain, then, shit man, hire more people. But the basic principle is this: If it's not on the roadmap, why are you working on it? If it's not the next most important thing on the roadmap, why are you working on it?

afarrell 10y ago
Ah. Yes I'll agree (though the husband in me says I should still be explicit when I postpone tasks). There is value in squashing unambiguous bugs that get reported even if they don't fit into whe broader theme of what you are working on.
crispyambulance 10y ago
On the other hand, assiduously doing ONLY what the PM has designated to the exclusion of everything else is a recipe for misery and organizational dysfunction. There has to be some slack for creativity, problem-solving, and some unstructured collaboration. I run into problems all the time in a "cross-functional" role with people who refuse to lift their nose from the grindstone unless specifically commanded by their boss.
- Swizec 10y ago
  Of course, "Use your judgement". I try to fulfill small asks quickly, as time permits. For bigger asks, I work with the person to get them slotted into the roadmap. Same approach for bugs. If something comes up where it's not absolutely clear that it's a critical production bug, I go ask the roadmap guy whether this is more or less critical than what I'm working on. The idea isn't that he's my boss and I only do ahat he says, but that he has broader insight into the business and criticality of various things. Sometimes something can be terribe and critical and everyone gets up in a huff, but it's still not worth doing instead of the business critical project you're working on.