Promises, promises

kaare on 2008-01-29T09:54:22

One important part of human interaction is that you can trust someone and that you yourself is trustworthy.

This is even more true when you do project work. In fact that is the contract between the project management and developers - and between developers themselves.

I don't know how often I've put in an effort to lift my part of the work, only to find that others really couldn't care less about the deadline, the users or the customers that really really need this project to finish.

My usual response is to try to help, lifting some of the work that others should have done. Sometimes I get so tired of this that I want out.

I think the problem has been escalating lately. Or is it just me being more sensitive?

---

Not me

ChrisDolan on 2008-01-31T04:02:14

I've only been in that position a handful of times. Mostly I've done projects where I'm the sole programmer (so if I slack, I'm just screwing myself), or I've found my co-workers rising to the challenges with me (an occasional all-nighter with the whole team can be invigorating).

On the other hand, my current employer is truly remarkable in that we have a decent-sized team that delivers results while putting in minimal overtime. I credit that to talented leads and product designers who are good at reigning in the scope of the projects and creating realistic schedules. I've been there almost a year now, and I still find it kind of amazing. I just hope it continues!