WARNING: This post is from my point of view. Your point of view can be very different and have no resemblance to mine. If this is the case please feel free to write your own account of the events.
Six weeks ago my life came to screeching halt due to an important deadline at work and if the deadline was missed...well it would not be good.
The project I am working on is broken into various teams: Production Support, Network/Hardware, Web Application, Communications, Database, and Release & Control. Then there are the few other people who do system architecture, misc. support, and project leadership/supervision.
Note: I am on the "comms" team with 3 others - or 4 people total. Remember this as it will play an important role as we go forward.
The deadline that had to be met was a module for the web application. This consisted of several web pages, a huge amount of middle layer code and quite a bit of database work comprised of stored procedures and table modifications. The web team has 5 members and the Database team has 4.
It became rather clear to some of us that the deadline was not going to met and not by just a few days, the deadline was going to be horribly missed. I had the impression that almost no code had been laid down.
One of the developers on the comms team decided that we needed to do something - like resolve the situation. He spoke to the project lead and was given the blessing to proceed with his idea. What was this idea? Oh, how about we and I mean the web team, the comms team, and db team figure out what had to done, in what order and by whom. The comms team would put their work aside and work with the web and db teams to get the front, middle and back end work done. What would this take? How about working 9-12 hours per day at least 6 days per week for the next MONTH.
Let me say that (almost) everyone bought into this plan. It was hard work, it was a crazy time, we all worked crazy hours - arrive at 6 am; leave at 7 or 8 pm; some worked Saturdays and others on Sundays and some worked 7 days in a row. Many of us were exhausted. I would get to work around 7 am work through lunch and head home at 6:30. I got home at 7:30, had dinner and was in bed by 8:30 or 9 pm.
But we made the delivery date. We rolled the code and pushed it on Friday night at 5pm. We tested the app to make sure it worked and pages did not crash the app. We finished up at 6:30 pm as as we were leaving, I noticed who was left - The four people from the comms team, 2 web team members, 1 production support team member and 2 project leaders. Not the web team lead. No one from the DB team. Not the system architect.
Someday, IF we meet and you ask the right question(s), and we have the time I will tell you all about the ups and downs; the good and the bad that went on during this time. In the mean time you can read between the lines.
Now, I just want to return to my life, it will have me - 'cause it left me 4 weeks ago as I did not give it the attention it needed - that and clean up my house which is a big mess.
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