• quixotic120@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    28
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    4 months ago

    executives call a variation this “optimization”. oh it took you four weeks instead of five? do it in four next time. give me a 300,000 dollar bonus please

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      As a software engineer, the trick is to never tell them it takes four weeks, you promise 5 weeks, procrastinate for 4, and do it in 2, blaming the extra on software being hard. Most execs understand that, and only being a week late is pretty good (my boss adds 2 weeks to all my estimates for his own reporting).

      It’s a subtle art that most contractors have perfected. Some even deliver on-time, but that’s dangerous because the exec might catch on (software is never on-time).