The Scotty Way, or Giving Yourself More Time to Finish Projects
We freelancers can learn from Scotty (the guy in the red shirt).
The Scottish engineer (played by Canadian James Doohan) worked his miracles many times in Star Trek. Whenever the USS Enterprise was in a tight spot, and Captain Kirk (Mr. Yellow Shirt) needed the engines and weapons restored for escape, he’d always ask Scotty when repairs would be complete. And whatever figure the Chief Engineer gave, his Captain would demand the task be done within half that.
For the audience’s sake, Scotty would get everything done on time, and the good guys would win. But fantasy is sometimes a good teacher. Eventually, Scotty would reveal his secret to his spiritual successor: he always padded his estimates by 300%. In other words, if fixing the matter-antimatter yada yada took 10 minutes, he’d tell Kirk he needed 40. So when the Captain would automatically order it done in 20, Scotty was actually left with more than enough time.
Scotty’s little shell game always worked because he offered reasonable estimates. It’s a fine balance between providing an absurdly high approximation and one that makes sense for your client. But remember, the client’s paying for your expertise because he can’t do it himself. He may have an idea how long you will take, but if you’re confident about your proposal, he’ll have no reason to doubt you.
I hardly consider padding your time and money requirements unethical because it’s a given that the customer will try to negotiate for a lower price or shorter work schedule. By leaving the negotiation with more time than you need, you’re actually rendering him a service. Now you’re prepared for Murphy’s Law incidents that will happen, and have a better chance of completing the project within time and spec.
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POSTED IN: Ways to Work Faster
6 opinions for The Scotty Way, or Giving Yourself More Time to Finish Projects
Katie
Jan 21, 2007 at 6:35 am
I completely agree with your statement about estimating a little longer (within reason) than you think you need. Something nearly always happens to complicate the work or make it take longer. It’s much better to tell the customer a couple extra days and thrill them with early delivery, than to have to call them up and tell them you need more time.
Last fall, I experienced this with a computer repair company. My laptop had died and I needed it repaired as quickly as possible so I could get back to writing for work. The computer repair place estimated it would take the weekend to fix it, and it would be done on Monday (which was fantastically fast.) So, on Monday I paced back and forth all day waiting to be told I could pick the computer up… only to have them call at 5pm to tell me they needed another day.
Of course, I was furious. I had made plans because of their estimate and needed to work on my computer that night. The interesting thing is that ZI was only mad because they had promised it to me on the earlier day. If they had originally told me that they needed until Tuesday, I would still have been thrilled (because 4 day repairs are still amazingly fast). But they tried to impress me with a faster repair time than they could handle, and as a result, they ended up with a furious customer when they admitted they couldn’t do the repair on time.
Rico
Jan 23, 2007 at 3:27 am
Exactly! It’s all about managing expectations! Thanks for sharing your experience by the way. Are you planning to go back there if and when your laptop breaks down again?
Katie
Jan 23, 2007 at 5:37 am
Of course not. Why would I return to a place that doesn’t respect my time? And to make matters worse in this case, the company didn’t even have the courtesy to call me call me early in the day to tell me that they were running behind. They didn’t even bother picking up the phone until 15 minutes before they closed.
So that’s more advice for your readers: if you’re running late, let your client know as early as possible! Still not as good, however, as giving yourself a little extra time from the beginning!
Rico
Jan 24, 2007 at 8:35 am
Very True. If you back yourself into a corner, being unable to fulfill your client’s expectations, you should own up to your mistake and inform him.
And if you ever become my client, I will fulfill my end of the bargain, on time and to spec! ;)
I really appreciate your comments Katie. Your insights are very useful.
Met
Apr 18, 2007 at 1:50 am
nice blog. good photo.
Big Employer, Slow Returns
Jul 24, 2007 at 5:32 pm
[...] in week’s time for instance, expect to receive the money after 10-14 days. Yes folks, the Scotty Principle applies here [...]
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