Deadlines
In an other life, when money was plenty and companies did not count their pennies, I got this industrial photo project of documenting the operation of a "corrugator"1. It was part of a project of eventually upgrading a few million dollars worth of equipment.
The photo project was supposed to be a month long, but it could be more and I was being paid by the half-day, with me doing the lab work at their location. Nothing left the plant. The month passed, I wasn't finished because I had to do "more stuff2". Another month and I didn't really cared since I was paid for my time, more work meant more $$$. By the third month, something wasn't right. Nobody was asking any question, they were paying my invoices, it wasn't right. Eventually I got a meeting with one of the VPs of the company. I explained my concerns...
Him — Can you wrap up your project by the end of week, and give us your last invoice?
Me — I'll make sure that I'm finished by the end of the week.
Him — We will not use your photos. This documentation was to stall John3. He has agreed to retire for "personal reasons".
Now I understand that my work was a "snow job" to confuse "John" to realize that he was going to be "turfed". That hurts.
My lesson is: be careful of these projects that don't have fixed deadlines or that people let go over budget. Why no deadline? Nobody's looking at the invoices vs. the POs?
1 A huge machine 250 meters long or around 750 feet long, that converts Kraft paper into "cardboard", just don't ever call it cardboard, the proper word is corrugated. ↑
2 Since, you're here, can you also do... I didn't mind, I was being paid by the half-day. ↑
3 Not his real name, but one of the other VPs of the company. He was in charge of the modernization of the corrugator. ↑
Tags: Biz101
In an other life, when money was plenty and companies did not count their pennies, I got this industrial photo project of documenting the operation of a "corrugator"1. It was part of a project of eventually upgrading a few million dollars worth of equipment.
The photo project was supposed to be a month long, but it could be more and I was being paid by the half-day, with me doing the lab work at their location. Nothing left the plant. The month passed, I wasn't finished because I had to do "more stuff2". Another month and I didn't really cared since I was paid for my time, more work meant more $$$. By the third month, something wasn't right. Nobody was asking any question, they were paying my invoices, it wasn't right. Eventually I got a meeting with one of the VPs of the company. I explained my concerns...
Him — Can you wrap up your project by the end of week, and give us your last invoice?
Me — I'll make sure that I'm finished by the end of the week.
Him — We will not use your photos. This documentation was to stall John3. He has agreed to retire for "personal reasons".
Now I understand that my work was a "snow job" to confuse "John" to realize that he was going to be "turfed". That hurts.
My lesson is: be careful of these projects that don't have fixed deadlines or that people let go over budget. Why no deadline? Nobody's looking at the invoices vs. the POs?
1 A huge machine 250 meters long or around 750 feet long, that converts Kraft paper into "cardboard", just don't ever call it cardboard, the proper word is corrugated. ↑
2 Since, you're here, can you also do... I didn't mind, I was being paid by the half-day. ↑
3 Not his real name, but one of the other VPs of the company. He was in charge of the modernization of the corrugator. ↑
Tags: Biz101
