When Companies Sacrifice Logic For Timeline

When doing something for the first time, how well do you do it? Okay, maybe you have natural talent and ability. I, on the other hand, rarely do something well until I’ve had plenty of practice.

We were recently hired by a start-up company to help them complete a critical company milestone. The milestone represented a significant amount of work effort. The company wanted it done in 4 weeks. Their timeline was very aggressive, considering the amount of work required. But there was a slim chance it could be done.

We offered to roll up our sleeves and work alongside them to complete the task. They said no; we were too expensive. The company decided they would do the work themselves but asked if we could give them a few pointers and review the work prior to completion. We agreed.

We had an initial meeting with them, explained the process, provided a few tools, and let the company do their thing. The company continued to stress the importance of completing the activity in 4 weeks, but indicated they would have us review the work prior to marking it complete.

The due date was quickly approaching. The company contacted us and said they would be sending the work for us to review in a couple days. A week passed–nothing to review. But then we received an email from the company. To paraphrase:

Thanks for offering to help review the content. However, the due date was critical and we didn’t have time for you to review the work. We feel confident that we completed this task successfully.

Why would the company choose to sacrifice the integrity of their work efforts just to meet a deadline by a couple days? Why would a company hire a resource that has “been there, done that” and not leverage them?

I wish this company all the best. However, my prediction is that the outcome will not be favorable. Oh well. We do what we can.