We were implementing a framework which we believed would simplify the process we were focusing on and also incorporate the feedback we received over a long time from users of the classical framework. The development was going in full steam with the team putting in their best effort towards the completion of the new framework. But then, when the framework was alomost complete, the unthinkable happened. Because of very valid reasons, the entire development of the new framework was put on hold. Was the team disappointed? Yes. Did the team feel that all their effort has been wasted? Yes. Did the team believe that things could have been managed better? Yes.
The incident mentioned above might look like an isolated case. But I am sure, a majority of you could have faced similar circumstances in your office life. So is this not a great place to work? Is this not the utopian work environment which is always expected by everyone?
The answer lies in what happened next. More importantly, one thing did not happen. No blame games were played and no fingers were pointed. Not one person was pulled up for what happened. The reason is very simple - the decision was based purely on facts and the facts were clearly communicated to the team. The team understood the importance of the decision for delivering a successful product and hence contribute to a successful SAP. The open communication ensured that the spirit of togetherness in the team was not disturbed.
The team did not have much time to relax after the decision was made. The pipeline was big enough to allow the shift to an interesting topic. The new topic also opened up possibilities to learn something new. This move not only made the young ones in the team excited, but also powered the old war horses. The initial disappointment of the decision was long forgotten before anyone realized it.
The effort put in developing the new framework was not wasted but a plan was drawn on how to use the expertise gained in the new and different but interesting topic. Knowledge gained is never wasted - a fact which was not only understood by the team but put in practise as well. This ensured that no one was disappointed but quite surprisingly, the team was motivated to do more. It was not only the knowledge and skill which was reused but the codelines as well.
So to answer the questions again - Was the team disappointed? Yes, but not for long. Did the team feel that all their effort has been wasted? Yes, but not for long. Did the team believe that things could have been managed better? Yes, but not for long. Is this a perfect place to work? No, we have ups and downs but our company does not allow you to stay down for long. And that makes it a great place to work.
