It Rarely Hurts To Listen
I’m a software engineer. I used to work for a pretty big company that specialized in developing software solutions for their client. I was sent on-site to the client, a big Malaysian bank, to play the role of front-end developer (basically making their Internet banking website). They already had backend services set up for a mobile application which we were also to use for the website.
There was only one problem: you could only install the app on one phone and log in to your account. This meant that if the customer logged into their app, they wouldn’t be able to log in through the website. As anyone can determine, this is a big problem.
I went to the back architect and tried to tell him, as well as the project manager, about this problem.
Back Architect & Project Manager: “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Stop disturbing us. Just do your job and nothing else!”
(I later found out that they hated the previous front-end manager and would never listen to the front team.) So, I sent an email detailing the whole problem to both of them, and their bosses, as well. As expected, nothing happened, but my butt was covered.
Fast forward two months. The client reviewed the architecture for the website and found that no changes had been made to the backend to accommodate the different behaviour of the website. They called a meeting and blasted the back architect, the project manager, and their boss. They claimed that they were backend people and didn’t know the difference in behaviour in a website, and that it was my job to let them know. They brought me in to question me as to why I hadn’t let them know. They claimed that, because of me, the project had been delayed for two months and the company had incurred losses. I calmly told them of my meeting with the two idiots and showed them the email, which they had ignored. Then, there was a glorious explosion. Basically, the architect was called incompetent and his twenty years of experience were called into question, and the project manager blamed everything on the architect.
After that, they always considered my suggestions.
After two months, the architect was transferred to another project and replaced, and the project manager quit IT. The last I heard, he is trying to set up an organic farming business.