4 ms·

> I gotta tell you that unless you're working with absolute bozos, nobody is looking at estimates and saying "oh duh, I am betting the farm this will complete o

> I gotta tell you that unless you're working with absolute bozos, nobody is looking at estimates and saying "oh duh, I am betting the farm this will complete on that date." Meanwhile, anybody working anywhere close to the retail space fell laughing off their chair. Thanksgiving won't move no matter how much you insult your co-workers. (This is not limited to retail. Many industries have fixed delivery dates and bet on those. Thanksgiving is just the most obvious example of an immovable object)

e12e 5y ago
There's a difference between "it's done now, before Thanksgiving, let's bet the farm on it" and "it might be ready two days before Thanksgiving, let's bet the farm on that"... Ed: that said, given gp quote about working with bozos, there's always that anecdote from the introduction of (2nd éd) of Peopleware, about the deadline being moved, because the project was on track for meeting the original deadline... (March meeting: we can deliver as planned in June - project leader called back; we've moved the deadline to April - paraphrased).
- groby_b 5y ago
  The deadline is still immovable. Yes, you've planned with a buffer, but you're still betting the farm that ultimately, it will come out in time to capture that business. And Black Friday season is large enough (30% of annual retail) that you might well try for a farm-sized bet. Been there. Done that. Had the conversations around risk. It is both "it must be operational by this day, or huge losses" and "we would rather not ship your effort than ship it between Black Friday and Christmas".
HWR_14 5y ago
If you supply anything that retail needs on Thanksgiving (including physical media containing digital assets), you have a very strict timeline as well. There is sometimes a possibility to pay extra to expedite a later part of the production process (ship via air instead of ship?) but that's still a big hit and often isn't even available.

e12e 5y ago

There's a difference between "it's done now, before Thanksgiving, let's bet the farm on it" and "it might be ready two days before Thanksgiving, let's bet the farm on that"... Ed: that said, given gp quote about working with bozos, there's always that anecdote from the introduction of (2nd éd) of Peopleware, about the deadline being moved, because the project was on track for meeting the original deadline... (March meeting: we can deliver as planned in June - project leader called back; we've moved the deadline to April - paraphrased).

groby_b 5y ago
The deadline is still immovable. Yes, you've planned with a buffer, but you're still betting the farm that ultimately, it will come out in time to capture that business. And Black Friday season is large enough (30% of annual retail) that you might well try for a farm-sized bet. Been there. Done that. Had the conversations around risk. It is both "it must be operational by this day, or huge losses" and "we would rather not ship your effort than ship it between Black Friday and Christmas".

HWR_14 5y ago

If you supply anything that retail needs on Thanksgiving (including physical media containing digital assets), you have a very strict timeline as well. There is sometimes a possibility to pay extra to expedite a later part of the production process (ship via air instead of ship?) but that's still a big hit and often isn't even available.