4 ms·
An alternative to flat out saying no is to point out how expensive and risky what you've been asked would be, in terms of development time, maintenance, and oth
by danmaz74 8y ago
An alternative to flat out saying no is to point out how expensive and risky what you've been asked would be, in terms of development time, maintenance, and other metrics that the business cares about. Even very rough estimates with a list of risks will usually do.
If somebody else comes out with a much lower estimate, ask them what they think about risk A, B, C... if you've got a point, this will usually work.
- ddalex 8y agoThat's a bingo! It's never No! It's "Sure, this is what it entails and this is how much it costs". Especially if you're a contractor. If their willing to pay the price, why not take the money and do the work?
- cs02rm0 8y agoMostly, I'd agree. I have literally no idea how long it would take though, I couldn't in good faith put a number to it. I also don't want the work - Windows isn't an environment I have experience in because it's an environment I don't want experience in. They wouldn't allow a rate change to do the work.
- ben509 8y agoIf you do this, identify beforehand what you think is non-negotiable. Because it won't be a technical discussion, it will be a negotiation and you're liable to be committed at the end of it. Of course, once you're holding certain things as non-negotiable... you're saying no.
- kthejoker2 8y agoJerry Weinberg had the Orange Juice test which always struck me as a practical approach to all requests. https://medium.com/intercom-inside/the-orange-juice-test-c9033fbb7117 https://medium.com/intercom-inside/the-orange-juice-test-c90...