Ask Slashdot: What Do You Do If You're Given a Broken Project?

X10 writes "Suppose you're assigned to a project that someone else has created. It's an app, you'll work on it alone. You think 'how hard can it be,' you don't check out the source code before you accept the assignment. But then, it turns out the code is not robust. You create a small new feature, and the app breaks down in unexpected ways. You fix a bug, and new bugs pop up all over the place. The person who worked on the project before you is well respected in the company, and you are 'just a contractor,' hired a few months ago. The easy way out is to just quit, as there's plenty of jobs you can take. But that doesn't feel right. What else can you do?"

Comments

Re:You were not hired to finish the project

[Loether]

As a contractor, your job is to make the project work. If you can make an employee look good, all the better. As far as your concern for misplaced congratulations... I quote Don Draper, "That's what the money is for!"