PITA Contracts

[Spacecadet]

Ever get those contracts where you seem to be on the back foot constantly?

I'm not sure whats wrong with my current gig but since day 1 I've struggled to get myself to a place where I feel like I'm on top of my game.

Luckily, I've only got 6 weeks left

[SimonMac]

Just keep thinking WWSYD?

[eek]

Just keep thinking WWSYD?

This

Well, rather more pertinently ask what would Suity do NOW? Right back then I would probably come on here, piss and moan, get pissed lots and struggle into work with a sore head and try and muddle through.

We really need more info. Why is the project doomed to fail? Are the requirements gathered? Is there a baseline? Scoping statement? PMP? Tonnes of tulip you can ask the PM for. So ask. In writing. Set a deadline.

Do you report weekly? If not, start. Planned activities, unplanned activities and time spent against each one. RAID log etc. Distribute this weekly to the PM, and senior devs.

Arrange a meeting to discuss the risks and issues you have raised. Press for decisions, mitigation actions. Suggest some of these. Be prepared for negativity at first, but once you start getting some shape to it people will buy in and with this momentum you can come out of this as the hero.

Your PM sounds like he is out of his depth. You have to be careful not to tread on his toes, but with every weekly report, and these RAID log meetings you are giving him more and more chances to help you. Minute these meetings and again circulate the minutes.

If after a while the issues are not being dealt with, quietly have a word with the project sponsor. Explain that as it stands good money is being thrown after bad. Don't use it as a moaning session, just give him the top 3 issues and your resolutions. These resolutions have to be credible, remember no sacred cows.

By papering over your arse in this way, being seen to be positive and constructive you will win friends and get support.

The project I am working on hasn't got a chance in hell of being delivered in time, but I am going through the motions and doing things properly (within reason). When the crunch comes, I will have to manage their tears, but in reality it was their project before I got there, and it was they who failed to plan, so from the moment I got hold of it I was always trying to answer the question "how long will this take?" but again the requirements I inherited were woeful so you ask for time to get the requirements straight. If they keep asking for deadlines, don't give them. Explain that you don't have enough at your disposal to give accurate deadlines, explain what you need from them in order to give accurate deadlines.

It is possible to be brutally firm without being aggressive, and people do appreciate this.

Worst case, you get tulipcanned and the next guy walks into a neatly managed project, in which case you did your bit and took one for the team - that's contracting. But you got experience of sorting out a buggers muddle that you can put on your cv and take with you.

Try and buck up, its not easy to be positive when all around you are sloping their shoulders but you can play them at their own game as I have outlined here.

Best of luck mate

The New Improved Suity

Which to be honest probably doesn't help

[Spacecadet]

Just keep thinking WWSYD?

Get the PM to place a PO for some more mops

[Spacecadet]

This




Which to be honest probably doesn't help

**** all that

I'm just sitting tight till the end.

[TestMangler]

Ever get those contracts where you seem to be on the back foot constantly?

I'm not sure whats wrong with my current gig but since day 1 I've struggled to get myself to a place where I feel like I'm on top of my game.

Luckily, I've only got 6 weeks left

When i first saw this thread, I thought 'PITA' was going to be some new development methodology that I hadn't heard of