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make sure there is a paper trail Unless the situation results in criminal prosecution, when the time comes to use that paper trail nobody will care about it.

fr0sty 13y ago
> nobody will care about it. I disagree. If the company in question is large enough having documentation that you were actively trying to avoid disaster, were competent enough to raise concerns and suggest solutions, etc. can be helpful when people come trying to assign blame after the fact. If the company as a whole will survive the impending train wreck then having evidence of competence, however meager, is certainly useful in many situations short of criminal prosecution.
- ctdonath 13y ago
  I'd like to hear from anyone who kept a paper trail which was, in fact, used as so intended. I'd also like a show of hands where it was kept to no avail. I've been on a lot of projects. Where a paper trail seemed warranted, those who came to assign blame had already chosen their targets without consulting with them first.
  - shrikant 13y ago
    Having conversations documented in emails really saved my keister on multiple occasions. Admittedly on one of those occasions, the effect wasn't immediate -- the manager in question basically rage-quit the conversation. But she put a lot more thought into getting confrontational in future disputes. (Although I have to clarify that this was a fairly dysfunctional environment (and had been for a while), due to which I figured getting things in writing was the safest choice. In future more cohesive settings, I didn't bother with this as much, as the teams tended to have more integrity.)
_pmf_ 13y ago
> Unless the situation results in criminal prosecution, when the time comes to use that paper trail nobody will care about it. That's true. Pointing to your paper trail when the shit hits the fan might actually label you as being uncooperative during a critical project; most likely, the manager doing any personnel "cleanup" will be the same that was responsible during the project (line manager vs. project manager). Besides, if a project is doomed, you are not the only one to notice it, so the fact that you pointed it out does not single you out as especially perceptive.
- powatom 13y ago
  If the person doing the cleanup is the same as the person who was directly in charge of running the project, then you have different problems.
powatom 13y ago
Possibly, but it depends on the project - the level of investment, and the structure of the company itself. If the project's failure is a threat to the company at large, then it's likely that an internal investigation will take place. The paper trail will help defend you.

fr0sty 13y ago

> nobody will care about it. I disagree. If the company in question is large enough having documentation that you were actively trying to avoid disaster, were competent enough to raise concerns and suggest solutions, etc. can be helpful when people come trying to assign blame after the fact. If the company as a whole will survive the impending train wreck then having evidence of competence, however meager, is certainly useful in many situations short of criminal prosecution.

ctdonath 13y ago
I'd like to hear from anyone who kept a paper trail which was, in fact, used as so intended. I'd also like a show of hands where it was kept to no avail. I've been on a lot of projects. Where a paper trail seemed warranted, those who came to assign blame had already chosen their targets without consulting with them first.
- shrikant 13y ago
  Having conversations documented in emails really saved my keister on multiple occasions. Admittedly on one of those occasions, the effect wasn't immediate -- the manager in question basically rage-quit the conversation. But she put a lot more thought into getting confrontational in future disputes. (Although I have to clarify that this was a fairly dysfunctional environment (and had been for a while), due to which I figured getting things in writing was the safest choice. In future more cohesive settings, I didn't bother with this as much, as the teams tended to have more integrity.)

_pmf_ 13y ago

> Unless the situation results in criminal prosecution, when the time comes to use that paper trail nobody will care about it. That's true. Pointing to your paper trail when the shit hits the fan might actually label you as being uncooperative during a critical project; most likely, the manager doing any personnel "cleanup" will be the same that was responsible during the project (line manager vs. project manager). Besides, if a project is doomed, you are not the only one to notice it, so the fact that you pointed it out does not single you out as especially perceptive.

powatom 13y ago
If the person doing the cleanup is the same as the person who was directly in charge of running the project, then you have different problems.

powatom 13y ago

Possibly, but it depends on the project - the level of investment, and the structure of the company itself. If the project's failure is a threat to the company at large, then it's likely that an internal investigation will take place. The paper trail will help defend you.