My colleague was working on an engagement – doing some “fire-fighting” on a project that is drastically slipping with some severely pressurised managers.
One of the Project Managers pulled him aside with the following:
PM – “We’re looking to release tomorrow morning, can we?”
EQE — “I don’t know whether you can or not? Have you the ability?”
PM – “Eh? What do you mean? Can we release or not?”
EQE — “Again I don’t know you well enough to comment on whether you have the ability or not to make a release.”
PM – “Ok! Are you happy for us to make a release tomorrow morning?”
EQE — “You making a release has no bearing upon my happiness.”
PM - ”Oh stop dancing around!! What shape is the application in!!!?”
EQE — “Ah, now – there’s a question – I started testing 3 days ago. I have tested the administration section, the reporting section and the projects section. I have found 6 show stoppers which developers are chasing. I am unable to access the financial section. I have been talking to the developers and they believe that they will be able to have fixes in this evening so I can look into the financial section tomorrow. I aim to finish my testing at end of play Friday.”
PM – “Oh. So its not good to release then? – What will I tell my boss? He’ll go mad when he hears this!? – So you’re not releasing the system then.”
EQE — “I didn’t say that. Listen, it is not my system, I didn’t make the requirements, I didn’t design it, or code it, nor ”
PM – (Interrupting) “Yes – but you’re testing it and YOU’RE not finished – what are you going to do?”
EQE — (Paused before continuing slowly) “… and nor did I put defects into the system. Its not my money being spent on the system and I couldn’t make the decision on whether to release or not. But what I can do is provide a daily summary of the tests performed, the defects found and a list of risk of failures if the system ships at that point. You can discuss the business risks with your boss. That way your boss can make the decision to ship based upon objective information that I collect.”
EQE — “Let me give you an example, today there is an issue of failure if we were to ship as we cannot access the financial sub section. We aim to be able to access this and start testing it tomorrow. Now if your boss wants to release then that will be based upon information that I have collected and on other business information that I will not have. But it is his business and it is his decision.”
PM – “OK. Thanks,… but he’s not going to be happy.”
EQE – “Maybe not – but at least he’ll have enough information to start making decisions and getting a feel for what he can and cannot do or what he is willing to do. He’ll prefer that than being told to release a system based upon the fear of reaction. Who knows, maybe he will have a business need to release today that out strips any of the connotations from the data presented. “
By the way. The release didn’t go ahead that day. The boss was not happy but then he got more involved on the daily updates and he made the decision to release on the Thursday (and not on the Friday) with an additional release the following Tuesday.
