Ask Carol: If IT's Important, Get a Second Opinion
QSM is hosting a new free advice column for software professionals who seek help to solve project management, communication and general software project issues. The first few scenarios are based on questions we receive all the time. Carol Dekkers is a QSM consultant and IT measurement and project management expert who speaks internationally on topics related to software development. Send your questions to Ask Carol!
Dear Carol:
I am a seasoned software project manager who continually gets blamed when my projects come in late and over-budget. I’ve worked the last 8 weekends with my team to deliver software for my customer and no matter what we do, we can’t seem to catch up or curtail the spending. Now my team is even turning on me saying I should have known that management would get angry, when they were the ones who imposed unrealistic deadlines and keep changing their minds about what functions they want delivered first. We’re all ready to throw in the towel, but we love our jobs and are doing the best we can. Help!
– Overworked and Frustrated in IT land
Dear Overworked:
The first thing I can tell you is that you are not alone! I know that this might not make you feel better, but even the best and highest paid project managers face the same issues on a day-to-day basis. The best piece of advice I can give you is “if it’s important (as IT projects are!) – always get a second opinion.” This is what we do in life – if you go to a doctor and he tells you that you need knee surgery, you always get a second opinion. We need to apply the same life lessons to our work life!