Maybe The Real Project Was The Friends We Made Along The Way
I was working at a tech startup that had zero IT infrastructure. There was a list of things that needed to be done, but it was just a giant, disorganized spreadsheet that no one had looked at in months. It had hundreds of to-dos for every single team in the company, but nothing was getting done. I knew that the project needed a champion and so I picked up the flag. I took the spreadsheet and turned the items into Jira tickets, I created a Confluence space for the project, and I had meetings…lots of meetings. I got the word out and made sure that the project was on everyone’s radar and that they understood the importance of getting it done before launch, which was looming.
Working closely with, well, everyone, the project started to pick up momentum. Things started getting accomplished, tickets were being closed and I was really enjoying running this massive project. This was the ultimate in cross-functional teams. I knew what every department was working on, what their priorities were, and who needed to know what. I had fantastic working relationships with most everyone. We worked together to clear blockers and I was able to source resources and information that others didn’t have the time or access for. I found the constant need for organization stimulating and enjoyed doing updates on Jira tickets and the Confluence space every day. It was a giant puzzle that I was happily working to solve.
However, this story has no conclusion. I had no experience working for a startup, but I had heard all of the stereotypes that are attributed to them. Unfortunately, some of those stereotypes are based in truths and my employment came to an abrupt ending. I was confused and beaten up and exhausted at this point and I was incredibly sad that I wouldn’t be able to see my project through to its completion. I had even started laying the groundwork for the next iteration of the project to be started after the product launch.
It’s impossible to sum up everything that I learned working on this project. I had to employ all of my interpersonal, technical and leadership skills as well as keep this huge project on the rails. I had little guidance and support but couldn’t allow myself to be paralyzed by indecision. I had to be a chameleon, moving between the tech and business sides of the company and making sure that everyone was heard and understood. It was a rewarding experience and I’m happy to have worked so closely with such a diverse group of people, but I will always regret that I didn’t get to see it through to the end and that the memory is saddled with a sour ending.
It was hard to decide whether this story should go in the “Success” or “Failure” category, because it feels like both. It doesn’t fit perfectly into one box or the other, and so it gets its own box and that’s why its worth talking about.
