Reply to: Contract going sour

[BlasterBates]

Somebody has to be in charge of the project and my experience is that there are plenty of people who think the entire system is rubbish. If you listened to everyone's recommendations you'd never mover forward. Some contractor experts (and I've experienced this) then go ahead and start making sweeping changes and end up f***ing everything up. So I can understand when a PM is hesitant at listening to someone who is new to a project. However it is difficult to judge from a distance.

My recommendation is listen to the requirement and just implement it in best way you can having agreed with the PM. He's in charge and he carries the can. He might be wrong, and you can voice your concerns but in the end he's in charge.

[suityou01]

Get this a lot - I am paid to voice an opinion. It is then up to the client to take said option(s).

If the don't does not mean you were wrong - you maybe benched but at least you will not be there to get them out of a the mess they have created. If the then ask you to put it right - grin and think of the invoice! the more mess they are in the longer it will take you to sort = more invoices!

[zara_backdog]

Get this a lot - I am paid to voice an opinion. It is then up to the client to take said option(s).

If the don't does not mean you were wrong - you maybe benched but at least you will not be there to get them out of a the mess they have created. If the then ask you to put it right - grin and think of the invoice! the more mess they are in the longer it will take you to sort = more invoices!

[suityou01]

Giving your advice or remaining silent depends on your role on the project.

If you are a consultant then you are paid to give advice on how to do things or make improvements.
If you are on the help desk then your job is to fix the problem as many time as the problem arises.
If you are a programmer you program according to the functional/technical specification.

Before you start the contract you should have a clear understanding of
what they expect from you.

The first one. Absolutely nailed on, the first one.

[Toastiness]

This has been my motto as a Contractor:

http://despair.com/consulting.html

Sums it up really.

[Brussels Slumdog]

Your Role in the Contract

Giving your advice or remaining silent depends on your role on the project.

If you are a consultant then you are paid to give advice on how to do things or make improvements.
If you are on the help desk then your job is to fix the problem as many time as the problem arises.
If you are a programmer you program according to the functional/technical specification.

Before you start the contract you should have a clear understanding of
what they expect from you.

[suityou01]

That's certainly how it should be, but life isn't always so simple.

The snag is if you're too accomodating, and let your Jeeves-like words of wisdom be brushed aside too easily and go along too readily with their "lousy solution", if this later turns out to be actually unworkable you'll be tarred with the same brush - They'll forget your early warnings, and you'll be part of the failure, and in practice dredging up some email you sent ages before may have little effect. After all, they are the people who you'll be relying on for references.

It's not enough to simply declare some solution is unworkable and expect everyone, or anyone, to accept that. After all in their minds they know their business and you are the newcomer. It is vital to explain exactly *why* you think the solution won't work, in terms they understand. (And who knows, sometimes they may be right, for reasons you weren't even aware of and they never thought to mention!)

Also, sometimes where a radical change of approach isn't accepted I've achieved much the same, or enough to salvage the project, by suggesting incremental changes, i.e. getting my ideas accepted in several smaller stages over time, like spoon-feeding a toddler.

Pretty good thread so far with the insightful to downright ignorant. This post I am quoting is the former I hasten to add. The problem here is that the process is in dire straits, and I need time to document my recommendations. The BA is so scared I am going to recommend a rewrite she is doing all she can to snuff out my efforts and railroad me into just hacking what is there so she can deliver on time. She does not understand that hacking what is there would take just as long if not longer than a full rewrite, and is not open to discussion. I have doggedly tried to carry on writing up my recommendations, and when the penny drops that I have catered for the short term as well as the long term I'm sure she will listen.

She is a very awkward character, and it is noted as such (my peers have confided). I tend to think that she is under extreme pressure and this distorts anyones personality and that brighter times are ahead after I pull the chestnuts out of the fire.

I have worked on other projects here with great success, and have the respect of others, of that I am certain.

You never know, but actually sticking to my guns I may save her bacon, and when she comes to realise this may actually get to appreciate what I have been going on about.

Or I can just roll over, go with the flow, keep my head down and keep on churning out tulipe. That'd be interesting come reference time. I think I'd rather be documented as a subject matter expert with a tenacious approach than some lilly livered bodge it and bugger it merchant any day of the week.

And I Biggun, you are a muppet of the highest order get out of my thread!

[OwlHoot]

.. My opinion hasn't changed, so long as the customer has made an informed decision and you've presented your view as subject matter expert then you can bill with a clear concience and do the best you can to implement their lousy solution. ..

That's certainly how it should be, but life isn't always so simple.

The snag is if you're too accomodating, and let your Jeeves-like words of wisdom be brushed aside too easily and go along too readily with their "lousy solution", if this later turns out to be actually unworkable you'll be tarred with the same brush - They'll forget your early warnings, and you'll be part of the failure, and in practice dredging up some email you sent ages before may have little effect. After all, they are the people who you'll be relying on for references.

It's not enough to simply declare some solution is unworkable and expect everyone, or anyone, to accept that. After all in their minds they know their business and you are the newcomer. It is vital to explain exactly *why* you think the solution won't work, in terms they understand. (And who knows, sometimes they may be right, for reasons you weren't even aware of and they never thought to mention!)

Also, sometimes where a radical change of approach isn't accepted I've achieved much the same, or enough to salvage the project, by suggesting incremental changes, i.e. getting my ideas accepted in several smaller stages over time, like spoon-feeding a toddler.

[vetran]

Me & my big mouth

I have the same problem, they are like horses just point them at the water then shut up. Sit back and laugh inwardly as they die of thirst.


If not you get 'not a team player', 'cleverdick' etc tag.

There is no right or wrong in business just money moving hands.

[Ivor Bigun]

1)hired as subject matter expert.
2)usurped by worried permies.
3)back on the bench.

1) You are wrong here
2) They always do that
3) It happens after every gig (if you haven'y got another one lined up)

You are leaving projects and making enemies.
Its your job to stop that happening - noone elses.

It sounds like you don't know when to shut up.
Reckon, your best course of action is NOT to give opinions anymore.

[suityou01]

this is not a retailer in the north west by any chance is it?

Northwest yes, Retailer no.

[suityou01]

I'm not taking a pop at you for this thread, but we did discuss this or a very similar issue recently.

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...d-problem.html

My opinion hasn't changed, so long as the customer has made an informed decision and you've presented your view as subject matter expert then you can bill with a clear concience and do the best you can to implement their lousy solution.

Oh good I' not going mad it is a different issue. Same person and project though so there are similarities.

HTH

[portseven]

I don't remember discussing this exact issue. The BA is the project manager. It's a weird set up. Basically the head of department has the BAs to manage requirements gathering, project management and line management. Then the plebs report into the BAs. I do not have a line manager obviously, but this is how it works for the perms.

this is not a retailer in the north west by any chance is it?

[TykeMerc]

I don't remember discussing this exact issue. The BA is the project manager. It's a weird set up. Basically the head of department has the BAs to manage requirements gathering, project management and line management. Then the plebs report into the BAs. I do not have a line manager obviously, but this is how it works for the perms.

I'm not taking a pop at you for this thread, but we did discuss this or a very similar issue recently.

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...d-problem.html

My opinion hasn't changed, so long as the customer has made an informed decision and you've presented your view as subject matter expert then you can bill with a clear concience and do the best you can to implement their lousy solution.

One of my favourite sayings is when I'm told that "there isn't time to do it properly/fix it/sort it out". I reply, "OK, but there's time to do it two, three or as many more times as you like then? Why not do it properly this time?" I don't always get my way, but it clearly shows where your mind set lies without being outright, overly dismissive of what they're doing.

That's entirely true and something that I've heard and read a fair few times.

[Fred Bloggs]

One of my favourite sayings is when I'm told that "there isn't time to do it properly/fix it/sort it out". I reply, "OK, but there's time to do it two, three or as many more times as you like then? Why not do it properly this time?" I don't always get my way, but it clearly shows where your mind set lies without being outright, overly dismissive of what they're doing.

I agree, most of but not quite all, permies are dumb. That's why they're not contractors, I guess.