Interview Question

[DimPrawn]

So what is the right answer?

As a disguised employee I would approach my line manager and request a "delivery exception meeting 1A/7". Here we would fill in form 10G/5 and agree corrective actions. A copy would be sent to HR where later I would expect notice 6H/5 to be sent to the team member who did not meet the deadlines and a refocus meeting to be called. During this meeting, I would be expected to rebond with my co permies and we'd all have a team hug and set an agenda for a further corrective planning meeting.....

blah....

WGAS?

It's a bollox permie question.

We as contractors here have no idea what the correct answer is.

It's like asking your plumber how he would cope with the electrician not completing the wiring on time. He'd tell you the sparky is late so he'll be late and it will cost you more money, go sort it out with the lazy arsed git.

[zeitghost]

Surely if you're an engineer, you'd hit the lazy git with a spanner.

Don't all engineers use spanners?

[vetran]

Unable or unwilling

As a team member first you check whether the person is unable or unwilling to deliver.

If he is unable then you try and help quickly without compromising your deadlines, and if you can't solve it then both of you escalate it to the project manager if you can't help. You get brownie points for helping your coleague plus you keep them on side and what do brownie points make? Why renewals and rate rises.

If he/she is unwilling then you explain the effect its having on your part of the project explain you have to escalate it to the project manager, if nothing changes you dump him / her in it with the project manager from a great height. He/she is a lost cause, you don't want to be blamed for them failing to deliver and it having a knock on effect.

Its not about managing a team its about working in a team, contractors and employees both have to do that. I'd shred any candidates CV/brochure that came up with a stupid answer about how they don't want to be managing the project that is not what was asked.

[zeitghost]

Can you hit him with the spanner after all that?

[Not So Wise]

Its not about managing a team its about working in a team, contractors and employees both have to do that. I'd shred any candidates CV/brochure that came up with a stupid answer about how they don't want to be managing the project that is not what was asked.

Actually is about a manageing a team, because if an engineer had to deal with such a problem it can mean only one thing, the manager/team leader is not doing his job

[zeitghost]

Actually is about a manageing a team, because if an engineer had to deal with such a problem it can mean only one thing, the manager/team leader is not doing his job

Ah. I see. Does that mean you can hit the manager with a spanner?

[vetran]

uh?

Actually is about a manageing a team, because if an engineer had to deal with such a problem it can mean only one thing, the manager/team leader is not doing his job

So if you are depending on a colleague to deliver part of a project you need to work on and it doesn't arrive you go straight to the MD and say Bert hasn't delivered?

I agree the team leader could be more pro active in this case.

[boredsenseless]

Ah. I see. Does that mean you can hit the manager with a spanner?

Why not hit everyone with a spanner and then work out whose to blame later?