4 ms·

As someone who cares about the quality of the shipped product, I really like to say "my work will be done, when it's done." That line doesn't go over so well wi

by alfredp 18y ago

As someone who cares about the quality of the shipped product, I really like to say "my work will be done, when it's done." That line doesn't go over so well with my project managers. In other areas of my life, having a sense of urgency helps me get things done in a timely manner - like doing grocery shopping or running errands. I think that urgency artificially introduces stress to the task - which may be beneficial in certain scenarios.

notauser 18y ago
As a project manager I usually don't care about when something happens, what I do care about is predictability. Knowing (with fair warning) that something is going to be late lets me set the right expectations. With a month to go I can usually persuade a customer to slip a week because something just needs needs more time. I can also reconsider my time estimates for future jobs to make sure that in future the engineers get the time they need. What I can't do is keep promising delivery "tomorrow" to external people, because I just found out today that you won't be done on time. That's bad for everyone.
Harkins 18y ago
I work in the news media and "when it's done" works great for us, even when we're responding to breaking news. I make sure I break down my estimates and provide options on what can be cut or enhanced, and my project managers (I work on a couple small 1-20 day projects at a time) set their priorities. It works great for all involved: I get to do quality work I'm happy with, and they always understand where their time goes. I admit it doesn't work with all PMs: some will try to mandate a due date. I'm really lucky to have a boss who'll help me push back, to explain that wanting things more doesn't make them go much faster. And I'm doubly lucky to have a boss who's right when he (very infrequently) has me work overtime to get something that's actually urgent done. I find stress much less motivational than the pride in doing things well.

by alfredp 18y ago

notauser 18y ago

As a project manager I usually don't care about when something happens, what I do care about is predictability. Knowing (with fair warning) that something is going to be late lets me set the right expectations. With a month to go I can usually persuade a customer to slip a week because something just needs needs more time. I can also reconsider my time estimates for future jobs to make sure that in future the engineers get the time they need. What I can't do is keep promising delivery "tomorrow" to external people, because I just found out today that you won't be done on time. That's bad for everyone.

Harkins 18y ago

I work in the news media and "when it's done" works great for us, even when we're responding to breaking news. I make sure I break down my estimates and provide options on what can be cut or enhanced, and my project managers (I work on a couple small 1-20 day projects at a time) set their priorities. It works great for all involved: I get to do quality work I'm happy with, and they always understand where their time goes. I admit it doesn't work with all PMs: some will try to mandate a due date. I'm really lucky to have a boss who'll help me push back, to explain that wanting things more doesn't make them go much faster. And I'm doubly lucky to have a boss who's right when he (very infrequently) has me work overtime to get something that's actually urgent done. I find stress much less motivational than the pride in doing things well.