Tell me about a time when you struggled to meet a deadline.

Question

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

At XYZ , while in the middle of the a crucuial migration project, a key resource
on my team left the company.
This immediately put the project in Red, I communicated about the change with
key resource holders and my manager. I also informed them about next steps.
a) I talked to my manager about the contingency plan
b) There was a senior eng. on my other team, I collobrated with other project PM
to get his buyin to reshcuffle the resource.
c) During the 2 week notice period, I negotiated that the exiting resource did
Knowledge Transfer
d) I knew that we would not be able to handle all the committed task, so I went
an negotiated with PMs to reduce the scope a little to reduce the risk.
By doing all these steps I could meet the timeline with minimal impact. Lesson I
learnt was to always have a contingency plan in place. In the end we delivered
90% of the committed tasks.

Anonymous · Answer

When faced with a challenge, I stay calm, assess the situation, and create a
plan to address it. For example, last semester, I was part of a group project
where we struggled with coordinating and meeting deadlines because everyone had
different class schedules and commitments. Specifically, we found it hard to
find common times to meet, which delayed our progress and caused confusion about
task responsibilities.

To tackle this, I set up a shared online calendar where each member could input
their availability, which made it easier to schedule meetings. Additionally, I
organized virtual meetings and assigned tasks with clear deadlines, ensuring
everyone knew their responsibilities. Regular updates through a group chat kept
everyone informed and allowed us to address any issues promptly.

By improving our coordination and communication, we managed to stay on track and
completed the project successfully and on time. This experience taught me the
importance of proactive planning, effective communication, and leadership in
overcoming challenges.

Tell me about a time when you struggled to meet a deadline.

Answers