Dealing with Developers

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rix187
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Joined: Thu 05 Jun 2014 11:27 pm

If you were working on a small enhancement project and the developer wasn't working to the best of their abilities for example, there is something to code and he says it will take 6 days to do it, but you KNOW that it will actually take 2 days to code. How would you deal with this situation?
NickC
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Hi

Does the Developer have a functional manager? Or do you have direct authority over him?

If he reports to someone else then I would tend to agree a target date with the manager and challenge him / her to get it delivered on time. This depends on the structure of the project team.

Otherwise you could try influencing the situation by explaining why the work needs to be done on time and that he / she has been chosen because he is considered to be the best person for getting it done quickly etc etc. i.e. make him feel good about it.

Sometimes when I review progress with senior management I will explain if there is a concern with potential lateness of a task and that additional resource may be required to complete on time. If you discuss this with the individual i.e. 'what help do you need to complete this in 2 days, because senior management may be willing to offer support', they may well decide that 2 days is now achievable!

The other consideration is whether this person is working on other tasks simultaneously and there are priority conflicts?

You say you know that the work can be done in 2 days, so it sounds like the amount of work involved can be quantified in some way. Doing this may make it harder for the developer to pad it out but be careful that this doesn't turn him off even more. It seems like a lot of effort just to arrange 2 days of work though!
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dhaughey
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I fully advocate the approaches suggested by NickC.

In your situation, I would sit down with the developer and show interest in how they are approaching the work. What is it that you may not be aware of that is going to take the extra days? I'd show genuine interest and ask the person to walk me through what they will be doing. This way, either you will find some hidden aspect of the work you'd not expected taking the extra days or the developer will be forced to admit the work will take less time. I'm assuming because you are clear about the time needed you are fairly technical and understand the development effort and approach required. If not, this may not work.

Duncan
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