[patmcc]

>>>How? Programmers don't have executive powers.

The secret is - and this is wielded a million times a day in a million small ways - of course we do. Lots of people do in lots of jobs, whether intended or not.

You just do the thing. You don't ask about doing the thing, you don't put in a project planning proposal, you don't beg your manager to devote 20% of your time to the thing, you just go and do it because you probably can. And as long as you do it, and it goes well, and nobody really notices until it's working, then it turns out you did have executive powers the whole time.

Just do the thing. Ask forgiveness, not permission.

[lmm]

The best case, if you're lucky, no-one notices. More likely you're marked as a troublemaker and pushed out. You're literally better off slacking off for that 20%.

[princeb]

the best case is that you make the firm a lot of money, and you were successful justifying your contribution and your deserved commiseration.

the least bad case is that you realize why nobody wanted to go ahead with your proposal in the first place but you caused no harm other than wasting several months of your own effort.

the worst case obviously is that you caused a huge amount of problems for the firm and people are aware of where those problems came from.

[pdimitar]

Yeah, that's the only thing that ever worked. I still don't recommend it because people do notice, it's just that many don't care. But when they do, you're in trouble.

But yeah, I've done it.

[kukkeliskuu]

Yes, this is important. Most people seem to self-sabotage their power. But many managers at least profess to look for "self-guided" people.

I do this so regularly it is kind of a second nature to me. Sometimes is backfires, but if you really know what you are doing, mostly you will be fine. Might even get rewarded or promoted.

[ornornor]

When do you do it? In between the constant firefighting or in between poorly planned “we need this yesterday” tickets?

[kukkeliskuu]

Just start right away. But first you need to understand where you are and what will bring the most value for your effort. Start with the immediate issues.

For example, is there some process improvement such as getting more data, new monitoring tool or logging solution that would reduce time spent in firefighting? Something that would immediately help you solve the next issue more easily? Do it while working the issue.

Can you rewrite the tickets so they are no longer poorly planned, making them easier and quicker to implement? Do it while working on one ticket. Depending on the organization, you can probably rewrite the tickets even if it is not your job, but that may cause waves. If that is too risky, another alternative is to create sub-tasks for the high-level issue that are better planned. If you need another high-level ticket, just ask for it.

When work is not optimal due to time pressure, there are probably costs related with that. Saving time and resources requires longer-term perspective and making some investment. But often there are things that require only smallish investment, and that is what you can very likely do.

When you save time for your company, re-invest that time into some other improvements that bring bigger results but might require a little bit more effort.

The lesson is that you have more flexibility than you realize, because your manager probably does not understand what you are doing. If you get good results, you may be eventually granted more flexibility. But that will most likely take time if you are working in an environment that is constantly fighting fires.