My response, when I earned of it two days before the actual deadline was to rush, to work long days and try to recover.
The result, as expected: quality deteriorated, I made mistakes which had to be fixed and I ended up delivering 2 days later than I was originally planning. I would have been better off just maintaining my pace and I would have had a better product earlier.
I know better than to do this but I still make mistakes.
Why did I go wrong? I mis-read the brief and didn't check back with anyone about my work plan. The solution is the usual one: Communicate, communicate and communicate. Then communicate some more.
This happens to the best of us. Was this a development thing? I would assume as an independent developer (if this is the case) it's easy to not get feedback on things. It all depends on you!
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder though, was the success of this deadline solely on your shoulders alone?
It was a consulting gig and I was working it alone, so yes, it was all about me really. It was me that had to wear the days of work for no pay. A pain, but not a killer.
ReplyDeleteI did have a team I was working with at head office, but that's where I failed to check in.
As for the client - their deadline was met so it was probably invisible to them.
I use a quote in these situations.
ReplyDelete“Be eternally suspicious, take nothing for granted, investigate everything. Program success is obtained only by enormous attention to detail everywhere.”