[syndacks]

Your two self reported flaws deserve some reflection IMO. Ask for help on them, whether from boss, coworker, mentor, or perhaps a therapist if you suspect a deeper issue is driving those. Especially the second one -- saying no and setting boundaries respectfully is paramount.

Regarding testing and tech-debt, those things don't drive business necessarily. Try thinking about what management is really after (it's not those two!) and find a way to deliver.

Related to the paragraph above, talk to the product manager, try to understand the user stories. Once you get a better idea of the forest through the trees, see if you can get yourself staffed on a high impact project. It's not always fair, but the devs who work on high impact projects (again, in the eyes of the business) have more leverage.

Hope this helps, best of luck. Happy to bounce some more ideas off you if you'd like.

[throw4238]

I agree. I plan to solve them by prepping for tasks more (doing some of my own PM/BA work ahead of time, so I'm more aware of the roadmap), then being sure to pad the estimates more but also back it up because I will have thought the stories through more.

One thing that seems really strange to me, and I think will seem really strange to future generations... is the paternal tone of just about everyone regarding tech these days. The cherry-picking and bad faith arguments are almost insane sometimes.

[giantg2]

I agree.

I also hate that system though. Often the business can't see the forest through the trees and push back against tech or infrastructure upgrades until something breaks. I feel like it's better to fix the problem than kick it down the road.