Thursday, January 04, 2007
Holiday Hours
So, keeping to the post holiday theme this week, how many of you were able to take the full holidays off? I both did, and didn’t. I didn’t go into the office, and for 90% of each day was off duty. I did a lot with the kids, got in some good long walks, cooked a lot, baked bread every day, drank through a sizeable portion of the wine store, generally did things one does in the holidays.
But I also worked. We’re close, so achingly close to the end of the project. I’ve got fatigues teams on three continents battering away with the requisite late project gremlins. I wished I could have given people a good break, they need it, but the business demands a delivery in January.
So I spent an awful lot of time on the telephone and trawling through email. When people are fatigued, they don’t think well. A lot of my time was spent talking through the issue, making sure untrod avenues of thought were walked on. Also a bit of arbitration when needed. Tempers got frayed more than once. Only once did my own temper start to get unchecked, but I reined it in.
Saying that, we slogged through what needed to be slogged through. We’re not exactly on time, but we’re close enough. It’ll be grand when we get there. I’m immensely proud of the project, and in particular of the work my team is doing. You don’t get people working through the holiday unless they’re passionate about what they’re doing. I’m not paying them any extra (well, it’ll be a good bonus year, but they don’t know that), and they put in hours way beyond the call of duty.
Now, I’ve just got to get through the next couple of weeks, then I can relax a bit. Not long though, I’ve already kicked off a new project…
But I also worked. We’re close, so achingly close to the end of the project. I’ve got fatigues teams on three continents battering away with the requisite late project gremlins. I wished I could have given people a good break, they need it, but the business demands a delivery in January.
So I spent an awful lot of time on the telephone and trawling through email. When people are fatigued, they don’t think well. A lot of my time was spent talking through the issue, making sure untrod avenues of thought were walked on. Also a bit of arbitration when needed. Tempers got frayed more than once. Only once did my own temper start to get unchecked, but I reined it in.
Saying that, we slogged through what needed to be slogged through. We’re not exactly on time, but we’re close enough. It’ll be grand when we get there. I’m immensely proud of the project, and in particular of the work my team is doing. You don’t get people working through the holiday unless they’re passionate about what they’re doing. I’m not paying them any extra (well, it’ll be a good bonus year, but they don’t know that), and they put in hours way beyond the call of duty.
Now, I’ve just got to get through the next couple of weeks, then I can relax a bit. Not long though, I’ve already kicked off a new project…
