Be Careful Not to Step in the Leadership

I'm working on a very, very large software engineering project right now. I'm in a lead role here, so I get access to inside information that the rank and file does not see. I've also got 8 years of industry experience, so I have developed a very healthy bullshit detector and very good instincts about what really goes on in the management planning meetings. Lately, one of my "rules of thumb" about management has been proved yet again.

To provide proper context, our project has been going on for 14 months. It is absolutely huge with about 85 people involved. Our 1.0 release is coming up in the next few weeks. A LOT of people had serious doubts we would make it this far in such a short period of time.

Well, this week we had 2 days of all team meetings which bascially boiled down to "OMG you all are so Awesome! Kudos all around! We're so happy!". They also bought us beer and appetizers. This was very nice, but I smelled a rat.

My instincts were correct. Last night, I had dinner with the secret cabal of high-level movers and shakers in this project (of which I am a member). The message I got in private was very different than the public message. We did OK (well, better than OK) for this version, but we're royally screwed for the next release. Classic story of trying to fit 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lb bag, or 10,000 hours of development in a 7,000 hour window.

My rule of thumb: "The louder the praise from management, the harder the smackdown that is coming."

Now, you may think that is horribly cynical. It really isn't. It does not apply to all scenarios. Little "attaboy" awards, free lunchs, et cetera are usually sincere expressions of gratitude. However, when they are suspiciously ostentatious or overblown, that raises my suspicions.

-D

An End to Cynicism...yeah, right

Before I'm accused of launching into a wild-eyed bleeding heart liberal rant, let me say that I don't actually believe cynicism is ending or it should end. A healthy cynicism is good for most everything as it keeps us asking questions - and thus, hopefully, finding answers.

What I mean is that I feel like our generation (near the end of Gen X - our Trainspotting posters, Flannel T-shirt photos and ability to imitate Eddie Vedder singing give us away) and the one before us have grown tired of the idea that there's nothing we can do to change things for the better. Volunteerism among our age groups is up, involvement in political campaigns is increased, and commitment to social causes through the web is expanding in an exponential fashion.

I don't know if it's from growing up in the rampantly materialistic decades of the 80s and 90s or the realization that it can all be gone in a second from this decade after 9/11, but there is a feeling in the air that we have to change things...and that we can, with or without the help of governments and corporations.

John Donne wrote that no man is an island in 1623. No one said we're fast learners, but maybe we're finally figuring things out.

-K

Why We're Here

A few months ago, three average single yuppies in their late twenties, probably not much different from you, took a good look at their lives: From work, to education, dating, media, achievement, and just getting by, like most people, we wondered how we got caught up in all of it and managed to stay caught up. It was time for some amusing reflection, emphasis on the amusing.

Let the posting begin.

-KDS