Chapter 4 V

Madrid, 11th May 2009

Monday, at work it burning smell was in the air. Part of the planning of the project I was working on had not been properly updated and the client had not been informed. Result: The client was informed way too late that there was 2 months delay... the day after they had plaid the delivery.

I knew what was coming. The concerned faces and the "it is time to push now " attitude, For the first time in a long while I was not all that worried about  this. I ha my mind elsewhere. At lunchtime I was doing some mental calulations. In a few weeks I will ask for an unpaid leave of a year and I will leave the company. I had about fifteen days after asking for the leave before leaving and then prepare everything to a new deployment  in Cologne, where the headquarters of SD were. The building was almost new and mostly empty. The headquarters of InGnio InGnieros were actually before in The Netherlands, in Amsterdam but it was agreed to move to Cologne, where a small administrative office had been located. There would be no more of InGnio InGnieros there, aside of commercial issues. The rest was all for me.

After lunch, the responsible of my section came over to talk to me. The word being passed from the wise people above was that we had to reduce costs, and send home some external employees  in order to immobilize some money for the client.

-- All those external employees are actually producing CAD and implementing the design, which, at this stage of the project, what the client is paying for--

-- Yes, yes, but it is all about money you see. There has been an agreement, where part of the last payment we cannot touch, so we have less budget than planned. How many external do you have working for you?-- Letting aside that he did not know that, I replied

-- I have,at 100% a piping draughtman, and a draughtsman for integration. I have occasional support for simulation and we are supporting the hydraulic troop -- I spared him the fact that the hydraulics troop could not put their act together and in order to avoid delaying us, we were making their job too

-- Well, that simulation lad we can share, but the rest will have to go--

-- and who is going to the job then? -- I was starting to get a little pissed.

A long silence followed, supported by a deep stare -- This is the time of taking more responsibility, and to face the challenge. It is also important that you get more close to the CAD -- Dance with the music he meant

-- That is all very good, but I am putting almost 14 h a day and  I am not... --

-- Well, that is a different story I am afraid. You have to go and speak to the personnel department about that...--

The conversation was going nowhere and the only goal I was achieving was that of getting mad. At the end of the day I did not know when these changes were going to be put in place and how much would actually be implemented. My take was that the responsible was just gauging me to see how the situation was at my level. Mi team had fulfilled all the milestones in thetime given and we had given good solutions, even helped other teams we had interfaces too. Sure, costs were high, but that was really not my problem. I was tasked to fulfill requirements, the budget was the issue of my colleague in front of me, and he could not track a limping turtle if he had to. Anyway, there was not much I could do about it.

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