What does your boss want, need, require, and expect of you? Each of these is a little different. Know the difference.
When I tell people that on ‘death march’ projects, I’ve worked 80 hour weeks, they’ll say ‘oh yeah.’ Impossible! You’re kidding!
Well I wondered if I’m a minority. I talked with many people, self-employed professionals, small business owners, members of special projects, senior managers, and software programmers. Some customers or employers expect these horrible hours and tradeoffs. Many creative, self-employed people put in very long and hard hours as a norm to get work done. Employees are also working long and hard to get their jobs done.
So, the project fails for any number of reasons. Schedules were missed. Stakeholders were really pissed. Quality sucks. Budgets went through the roof. Not good! There will be a price to pay.
Life Lesson Earned: Know what your employer wants and expects from you before you take a new job. Know what’s expected of you before you sign on for a new project. Oh by the way, get this in writing.