I once worked under a research grant where the leader is trying to impress by delivering more than promised, i.e. doing a related side project that is not part

I once worked under a research grant where the leader is trying to impress by delivering more than promised, i.e. doing a related side project that is not part of the original plan. Upon learning about this "secret" side project, this didn't please the grant giving agency so the side project was made "official" while funding remained the same. An increase in official deliverables without an increase in funding and staff was just a recipe for burn-out. Worse, the engineers that had to toil in the side project did not get as much recognition or networking as those in the official deliverable, as it was not the priority among the collaborators. On the other hand, the leader only had to demand more from engineers to appear prolific to the eyes of the public.