Some years ago, I was driving around the countryside with my wife when we unexpectedly got lost.
In those dark times, there were no smartphones or GPS, so we felt fortunate to come across a farm where we could find someone to ask for directions.
It was starting to get dark, and I’d been secretly scared of being a werewolf for a long time. So I quickly jumped out of the car and ran inside the farm.
Before I could say “Daleatucuerpoalegríamacarena”, a strange figure emerged at the main entrance. He wore a filthy white suit and a weird hat from the last twenties. I was about to introduce myself when he suddenly and difficulty articulated :
—I’m Torgo. I take care of the house while the master is away.
—Nice to meet you, Torgo— I answered
—Torgo!— He shouted again
—Excuse me?
—What?
—What?
– Sorry, I thought you asked my name again.
—Mmm, noup.
The air was thick with an awkward silence for several seconds. Luckily, a shouting goat intervened in the distance, and we felt confident again to restart the dialogue.
—I’m Torgo.—He said again— I take care of the house while the master is away.
—Hi Torgo, my name is Michael.
—Hi Michael, nice to meet you.
—No! Sorry, my name is Pedro!
—Mmm, why should I believe you?
—Excuse me?
—Why should I believe your name is Pedro and not Michael?
—Well, it was just a mistake. I got confused with a movie’s main character that just popped into my head.
—Mmm, I don’t know. Friends don’t lie.
—How dare you? I’m a CTO in a Startup. I’m almighty!
—Really? I’m also a former CTO!—Said Torgo with evident excitement.
—What a coincidence!
We hugged as all CTOs do in the open field when we recognise each other. Sadly, it was dark, and we couldn’t perform the traditional CTO conclave dance.
—Sorry for before— said Torgo— I’m getting older and grumpier, and I don’t trust anybody easily. And it’s ironic because I have suffered the Cassandra effect many times
—Cassandra effect?—I enquired in surprise
—You don’t know it? Please come on in and have a beer with me. I’ll happily explain the concept!
I’m always up for learning new things and, of course, a free beer. So I didn’t hesitate for a second and followed Torgo into the house.
—Will your wife be okay in the car?— He said
—Sure thing. She is browsing Instagram. We have hours before she realises I’m not in the car.
—I thought you said there are no smartphones at this time
—This is my blog, and I say whatever I want
—Ok, ok. Chill, mate.
We got into the living room, where the last cleaning looked like it had occurred ten years ago, and I tentatively sat on the sofa while Torgo went to the kitchen. There was a King Cobra on the couch, but it was ok. I have previous experience with snakes. Python, in particular. A-ha!
He soon came back with a couple of bottles in his hand.
—Cassandra— Said Torgo whilst handing me a beer— is a mythological character, daughter of Priam, King of Troy. Long story short, she could foresee the future, but nobody believed her. She beware of the Greek invasion, but it was in vain. And the city burned, and almost everyone perished.
» Not as dramatic, but this is something that, as CTOs, we suffer when we work for startups. We have seen the same situation repeatedly, but nobody believes us. And our clients make the same mistakes we are trying to prevent.
» To be honest, our clients usually agree when we advise. But in my experience, deep down, they think we are exaggerating. Sentences like “Please, don’t spend 80% of your budget on development” sound like shooting our feet. But if you don’t have enough to build what you want, reduce the scope and sell a smaller product. But sell it.
» In some cases, we succeed; in others, we just mitigate. We cannot give up. We must focus and work on forecasting and preparing ourselves for different scenarios.
—But Torgo— I said while trying to steal a lovely and shiny fork under the cobra— I don’t see it that often. Do you think it’s a real problem?
—Well, in my experience, it happens. And a lot. Most of my clients try to achieve the whole vision of the project on the first shot. And they always find the same problem: running out of money with a non-functional product. That’s why drawing projections and following up on real-time progress is essential.
—Make sense, mate. But how can we be sure that we are right in our position? Maybe our client is right this time.
—We should act as CTOs, not just as contractors. Our responsibility is to inform the executive board, especially the CEO. And we need to be as specific as possible. If we defend our posture, and the board decides, that’s when our job ends. And if the project fails, we will have our part of the responsibility because we couldn’t convince the board.
Suddenly, a massive thunder interrupted our conversation, followed by the screaming goat.
—Maybe we should call it a night. I don’t want to transform into a wolf without my proper dress shoes. How can we get back to London?
—Oh, there is no way out of here?
—Wot?
—Yes, there is no way out of here unless you turn around your car. This is a cul-de-sac
—Ok, nice. Next time, maybe we can grab some more beers and play darts naked and drunk.
—Master will not approve— said Torgo
—Ok then. Time to go. Hope to see you again, Torgo.
—Me too, professor. Drive on the left; otherwise, it can be… deadly.
—Sure thing. Bye now.
Following Torgo’s indications and Google Maps, we got home safely after just three hours of casual traffic jams on the M-25.
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