Crisis Management

Life is always full of surprises, and things can't always go as smoothly as expected. When unexpected events occur, I believe that, aside from crisis management itself, good communication and managing others' expectations are where a reliable engineer can truly shine.

Being able to complete all the tasks you've promised is a basic requirement of a good engineer. However, when you find that unexpected events occur, or you realize that your initial estimates were too optimistic, addressing these issues early is the only way to avoid breaking your promises. Even if you think that things might still be completed on time if everything goes well, I encourage you to inform your supervisor or other stakeholders of the situation beforehand. You can be upfront and honest about why there is now a risk of not meeting your commitments, though there's still a chance it could be completed if things go well. The advantage of doing this is that it gives other stakeholders the chance to address the situation, such as a supervisor who might be able to find additional help to ensure that the task is successfully completed, or a PM who can tell you which features are the most urgent and should be prioritized. You never know how your changes might affect others' work plans, and the only way to find out is through early communication. I know some people might feel that this extra communication is unnecessary, as there is still a chance everything could go smoothly, but what if it doesn’t? If things do not go as planned and you haven’t communicated in advance, the damage that this causes can be significant, whether to the team's dynamics or your personal reputation.

If you already know there's a chance your car might crash into a cliff, the best way to save lives is to inform everyone in the car about the potential situation, allowing everyone to contribute their resources to help steer the car away from the worst possible outcome.