Recently I have been thrown into a running project. Again. It seems that this happens pretty often in my career, new projects are a rare occurrence. Not the most fun thing to do. Every time, you are behind on the rest on the team. I always have the nagging feeling I should have been up to speed already, even though I started yesterday. There is some anxiety. Will I be a good fit for the team? They have already worked together for some time, will they even accept anybody else? What do they expect of my competence? What if I don’t live up to their expectations?
It’s easy to get stressed about this, and fortunately there are a few thing that will make it easier to transition. Remember that all changes are hard, but on the long term can be pretty rewarding. For me personally, I like getting the new experience. I have noticed that I need to change environment now and then, or else I will rust away. Getting to know new technologies, techniques, people and organizations is something that keeps me motivated more than doing the same thing over and over again, making minimal progress. Also, I seem to become pretty good at it over time, and doing it successfully is a motivation in itself.
Tips
To share my experience, here are some tips if you too are thrown head-first in a running project:
Do:
- Ask a lot of questions. Even if you think that you know the answer, ask anyway. You will avoid the mother of all f-ups, and you will show that you’re actually interested.
- Talk to people. About the project but also about trivial stuff. Get yourself known and get to know your new team.
- Figure out why certain decisions were made. Either you will learn something new, or you can present a fresh view and opinion on things.
- Bookmark all important URLs in your favorite browser when they are given to you (I keep forgetting this one).
- Open the project and run all unit tests. If there are failing tests: investigate why they are failing. Maybe the team is not in the position to update them, or just don’t care about unit tests.
- Ask for help. If you’re unsure on how to do something or need to have something done (like administration), ask. Follow up if it takes a long time.
Don’t:
- Read all documentation before doing anything else. Seriously, even the most experienced guys don’t have everything in their head.
- Try to remember everybody’s name immediately. You will fail, especially if you have the same memory as me.
- Assume that everything is prepared for you. Most likely somebody will be assigned to setting you up for the first day or so, introducing you to the rest, but you are responsible for getting yourself up to speed.
- Be afraid to voice your opinion. But also don’t voice your opinion like it is the One and Only Truth (which is a good idea in general). You’re probably there
Do you have more tips, suggestions or questions? Let me know!