My client's 'simple' scope change ate up 32 hours of my week

They wanted to add a whole new reporting dashboard, said it was just a few extra charts. Took me three full days to rebuild the data pipeline. Anyone else get blindsided by a 'tiny' request that blew up?

4 comments

4 Comments

caseywalker1d ago

Yeah, that "just a few charts" line is a classic. Started making them walk me through the exact data they want to see now. Last time, they wanted a "simple total" that needed data from three different places we'd never connected before. Now I give a time estimate after that five minute chat, and it usually makes them think twice.

logan_anderson401d ago

Remember that article about hidden project costs? It said the "simple request" is the biggest budget killer in tech. Making people detail each step before you start is the only real fix. Casey's method proves that point perfectly.

colegarcia1d ago

That "simple total" from three places thing hits home... I once spent a whole afternoon just trying to find where a number lived before I could even start. Nancyramirez is right that it can get overblown, but man, when you start pulling that thread it just never ends.

nancyramirez1d ago

Honestly, sometimes these things get overblown. A few charts can turn into a big job, sure, but 32 hours? That seems like a lot. Maybe the planning could have been better from the start. Caseywalker has the right idea about making them spell it out first. A quick chat about the real data sources often shows how much work is hiding behind a simple ask.