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YES. *This* is your management problem. Standing up stubbornly for engineers to get real engineering time allocated to fixing and paying down debt.
The line manager's voice
is often the only signal upper management gets about tech debt/infra/security...until it's too late.
The line manager's voice
is often the only signal upper management gets about tech debt/infra/security...until it's too late.
If you feel like your org never EVER prioritizes infra or tech debt, you probably have weak line managers. Or inexperienced ones.
People say they can't get upper management to pay attention to their desperate pleas. This is true; it can be hard...the first time.
People say they can't get upper management to pay attention to their desperate pleas. This is true; it can be hard...the first time.
There's an easy way to flip the power dynamic though, when reality is so firmly on your side.
When they deny your request for eng time, patiently describe some of the things you are afraid will happen. Be friendly! In writing, with witnesses on carbon copy.
When they deny your request for eng time, patiently describe some of the things you are afraid will happen. Be friendly! In writing, with witnesses on carbon copy.
Next, wait for one of those things to happen.
Then follow up. Respectfully bemoan that you weren't able to allocate $x hours to prevent the problem which will now take $xx hours recovery. Point out another thing that may fail, ask for $x hours to fix it.
Repeat as needed.
Then follow up. Respectfully bemoan that you weren't able to allocate $x hours to prevent the problem which will now take $xx hours recovery. Point out another thing that may fail, ask for $x hours to fix it.
Repeat as needed.
Seriously, it doesn't take long for people to start treating you like a prophet deserving of respect. It's not that hard to predict things that will fail. And your team deserves a heavy at bat for them.
(For product folks, you probably want a version that predicts that shipping velocity will drop way down, and calls attention to improvements in work flow and codebase cleanliness. Same principle tho.)
