What do you think? Are you confident about the progress of the project?

Perhaps this post would better serve appearing under "white lies/half truth to upper management", but it happens often enough in "Steering Committee" meetings that it's better addressed here.



A steering committee intends to "steer" a particular endeavour towards a roughly correct course or direction. Through the Management's wisdom, having had 5 years working experience (I exaggerate, but you get my point that corporate businesses are being run by folks wet around the ears cause they're related to the boss) their input is like manna from heaven.

So what happens when the "Chairperson" asks you "What do you think? Are you confident about the project?"

As a Dark Manager, there's only ONE answer, "YES SIR! Everything is going on schedule, no major issues".

Even though you know that:-
  • half the testing will not be completed because there's not enough time
  • the training manuals are 2 versions behind yet still being published anyway
  • 80% of the users will not be trained with the product
  • Arbitrarily, you decide to re-categorize Major, Moderate and Minor bugs
  • Half the team has resigned because they know that the system will go live with a ton of problems.
  • The illogical project schedule was dictated by the same "experienced" chairperson.
Why? Because based on the principles of Tai Chi - There's always someone else to blame or able to solve your problem.

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