Are you being irresponsible if you say yes?
Most companies can't estimate the size, complexity, dollar cost, labor cost, or schedule of a project to within even 50% accuracy. They have no prior metrics on which to base estimates, and no specs clear enough to show how much one project is like another. No two projects are alike, and every project requires heroic effort on the part of the developers. By the unofficial* standards of the Software Engineering Institute, this is called Capability Maturity Model Level-0 (CMM0).
* (officially, there is no CMM0.. the scale starts at CMM1: repeatable)
In CMM0 shops, bosses evolve a protocol for deciding what's possible: they tell the developers, "we want this," and watch the reaction. If the developers say, "oh yeah.. no problem," the boss knows that something similar has been done before. If the developers just giggle, the boss knows that the job is unreasonable. If the developers look strained, the boss knows that the job is possible, but will require heroic effort -- which is the 'sweet spot' of CMM0 development.
The problem with the 'giggle test' is that it leads companies to move projects past their safety limits. Eventually something goes wrong, and instead of being a problem, it turns into a disaster.
So -- do you really have the spare resources to take on this project, or are you just planning to dance faster and hope nothing goes wrong?
'Hoping nothing goes wrong' is irresponsible. It exposes your employer to risk. Refusing to tell your boss that there might be a risk is irresponsible, because your boss's job is to allocate resources based on the probability of success, based on the risks he knows about. Refusing to tell your boss that there might be a risk and calling it 'loyalty' is -- hrm.. polite term -- misguided.
Trust me -- if your boss has clue one about how to do his job, he wants to hear bad news before it reaches disaster status. His job is to make decisions, and he can't do that if you hide information because you think he won't like it. You don't have to throw a hissy fit, you don't have to complain that you're not being paid enough, you just have to say, "doing this would put a strain on the rest of my work."
That's information your boss needs to know, and telling him is anything but insubordinate.
----
PS -- running the text of your post through the 'giggle test' suggests that you do not have the resources to handle this new project without putting your other work at risk. So would you rather tell your boss about it now, or 6-12 weeks down the road when something has gone down in flames?
In reply to Re: Insubordination or Exploitation?
by mstone
in thread Insubordination or Exploitation?
by Silicon Cactus
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