Get shit done

Day 255 / 366

It’s easy to complain and blame others when things are not going well. I have been guilty of that as well, especially when working on software projects. But I have also learned over the years how much more valuable a person is who instead of complaining, steps up and gets it done.

Software projects generally all follow the same life cycle. In the beginning, everyone is excited. There is a lot of planning, lots of attention to detail, and lots of new ideas. People follow proper processes, documentation and code reviews. There is less pressure because it would be a while before testing starts.

But soon, things start to fall apart. Deadlines are missed, and bugs are pushed to production. People panic, and they start taking shortcuts and stop following protocol. And before you know it, no one is excited to work anymore. This is where the complaining starts.

If you are smart, you will know that such a situation is a golden opportunity for you to show your skills. When everyone is trying to avoid work, you pick up the slack and start delivering. You make sure that you take the project across the finish line. If you see something being done wrong, you don’t complain about it. You fix it instead. This is how you make yourself indispensable.