Submitted by engineering_mgr on
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If there's a problem in a project that isn't mine, should I raise my hand?
Title refers to "if there's a snake in my neighbor's lawn, it's not my snake," i.e. he's the one to chase it with a shovel. I work under a project that is run well, but there are rumblings that a neighboring project is likely to miss big milestones. I'm not assigned to the snaky project, nor involved in coordination across projects. I do manage reports involved in the snaky project, but they are at the line worker level. Besides making sure my reports deliver what they are assigned, and warning them to ask for notice of upcoming tasks, is this my snake? My assessment is that the snaky project will hurt the company if it fails, but I am not sure I have the influence/political skills that will result in a new focus, and I sure don't have the role power.
Usually, no
Usually, no -- exception being clear and present danger, which you handle in concert with others.
If I interpret you correctly, your only contact with Project Snake is through your direct reports. Their contributions are timely and effective, and no one has come by formally or informally to ask you to help them or your directs to put in some extra effort. You're hearing that Project Snake isn't going well, and that's only through informal and (to you) not very reliable channels.
Lots of projects worth doing will hurt a company if it fails. Lots of those fail, and companies cope with that all the time. Very few will sink it; for most of those, folks off the project will either get lots of informal warning and be asked to pitch in, or none whatsoever. And plenty of projects miss milestones, then recover or refocus or scale down to get some measure of success.
Seems to me, you have no evidence of "clear and present danger" to yourself, your part of the company, or the company as a whole -- or of anything at all out of the ordinary, for that matter. Lacking hard evidence, you get to play your role: continue to support your directs as they deliver within time and budget. If there are Project Snake issues, it's most likely the normal "in the middle of a projects" chaos, perhaps with a bit of "organizational issues above your pay-grade" mixed in.
You got it
Your interpretation is correct and the advice is sensible! I will keep to my own back yard and not go charging into my neighbor's uninvited.
Could be your "dead grass"
The health of your neighbor's yard contributes to your property value.
Are you only hearing "rumblings" because someone is reporting "green" deceptively? If so, you may have an interest in preventing a stressful surprise for your boss/skip-level boss.
Up and up
There were never deception concerns, more that the project was be on a trajectory to miss its goals. But to follow up, Project Snake hit a customer deliverable with flying colors and positive feedback. I would say the project manager had a good bead on what the customer was looking for, and of course I wasn't part of that communication, so good lesson for me! Meanwhile my report is part of a project that is getting positive attention and I haven't damaged my relationships with badlly-informed and distracting interference. Thank you MT!
Awesome!
Glad to hear the great news!