Project was going fine...

[Ignis Fatuus]

Yep, all very familiar, but why would you do a weekend overtime at a couple of hours notice?

It seems to me, given this situation, that the PM needs the techies more than the techies need the PM; as is often the case, the techies don't realise they've got the managerman's arm in a half nelson and instead of giving in, they should twist it a bit further.

I'm not doing it. I said that I have previous arrangements involving other people and I'm not available.

I believe that I am shorter of time than of money, so I'm not interested in selling more of the former than I have to. And as is often said on this board, your (or management's) bad planning is not my emergency.

[Cr1spy]

Dilbert - Death Spiral

[Mich the Tester]

Yep, all very familiar, but why would you do a weekend overtime at a couple of hours notice?

It seems to me, given this situation, that the PM needs the techies more than the techies need the PM; as is often the case, the techies don't realise they've got the managerman's arm in a half nelson and instead of giving in, they should twist it a bit further.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Saw the signs coming.

One day this week I was still around at 6:30 pm due to an oversight, and other developers started doing takeaway pizza orders. Sudden need for overtime, in other words.
Next day, 3 progress meetings in 1 day. Always a sign that more progress is urgently needed, as if meetings would make it so.
Today, it seems that all bugs must be fixed by Monday morning, so weekend OT all round. PM was even ringing round people who are on vacation, to get them to do the weekend.

Damn. I don't recall seeing "Death March" in the contract requirements.