Management Anti-Pattern: The Gotcha

What you generally don’t want on a project

Short version: It is the part of the process which is not documented which causes delays

Generalized: Deadlines are as feasible as the tasks they are set for are understood

Ultra-specific request of managers: Remove these words from your vocabulary, except for in extremely specific cases:

• “simple”
• “should”
• “But I know how to do it.”

We were in the home stretch of a project which had all the hallmarks of failure: introduced mid-sprint with other commitments on the line, little or no planning, no comprehensive team schedule or document, deadlines made without team acceptance, tasks introduced as people thought of them.

It was Friday afternoon. I was asked to perform a function I had never performed before. Sizing it up and accounting for problems, I estimated it at one and a half hours. It was due in 2 or 3 hours.

It was a keystone task. If it failed, the entire project failed. It also required extreme attention to detail as most steps were manual and included setting multiple configurations in several different interfaces. It was also poorly documented.

A new lead said: “I’d expect it done within 30 minutes.” I pushed back: “I’ve never done this before, and I’m leaving room for me…