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Subject:Re: Time estimates and getting credit From:<puff -at- guild -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sun, 4 Mar 2001 14:12:36 -0500
> You say the letter has already been sent. There isn't much you can
> do about that. Would your team lead be willing to write a note (on
> company letterhead) saying that you were responsible for the
> proposal and estimate? You could add that to your portfolio
> package.
I think this would be the best bet; in addition, I'd suggest that
if Anon has a good rapport with their team lead, and the team lead has
a good opinion of Anon, ask for a reference letter in general. This
is a good rule of thumb to follow in general, any time you develop a
really good working relationship with a fellow professional or a
superior. Obviously you have to balance this with not asking
everybody in sight for a reference letter every month :-).
However, based on the paragraph included in the original post, I
suspect this is a case of simple misunderstanding on Anon's part:
> I recently put together a proposal for a project that included time
> estimates for how long it would take me to complete the project. [...]
> There are paragraphs like this in the cover letter:
>
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> [Anon] has created a plan for [for this project], including the estimated
> time frames and current status. The plan has been reviewed to determine
> which items, if any, could be put on hold until after the initial release.
> The hours are minimal. [team lead name] and [Anon] have taken a very
> proactive approach as to how we might accomplish our goal by our
> designated completion date.
The overall language is very much corporatespeak. It appears to
me that the project manager is basically putting all of their weight
and the team's weight as well behind your estimates. In other words,
this isn't a case of somebdy stealing credit for your work, but just
the opposite, a case of your manager and coworkers supporting you in
doing your job.
The real kicker is the last sentence.
> I am in full agreement with them that we need additional assistance
> based on the following summary.
This indicates to me that there are some issues with work load
and available resources that the manager is using your estimates to
illuminate and make the case to management about.
IPCC 01, the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference,
October 24-27, 2001 at historic La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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