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This procrastination issue has a long buildup, but I will try to explain it briefly. I was working on a large project with a senior programmer in a language/methodology I was new to. About half-way through the project, the senior programmer left the job and the project was now all in my hands.

Fast forward a month and I have a fairly good working program, which is great. The unfortunate issue is that now I am tasked with implementing the program into other projects, which I have no clue on how to do. Mixed with looking for a different job (unrelated to this project, but related to the job), I have unwittingly procrastinated on working on a solution to my issue.

Now I have a deadline that I know I will most likely not meet. Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time?

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  • Hey @Austin , I added a question I think is really similar to the context you are describing. Please check it out, and if you think it is not similar at all please tell me so we can discuss and remove the flag.
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    Commented Aug 21, 2017 at 15:47
  • I checked out that question and It is a very similar situation. Sorry for posting this duplicate, my research for a similar solution was not good enough. Thank you for the link.
    – Austin
    Commented Aug 21, 2017 at 15:50
  • No problem at all @Austin , if you can reword your question/situation in a different way do so, if not, consider accepting the duplicate if the answers on the other question worked for you.
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    Commented Aug 21, 2017 at 15:53

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Now I have a deadline that I know I will most likely not meet. Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time?

Both.

You should immediately talk to your manager about the project - where you are, when you think you will be done and why, and what you are doing about it.

You should also work extremely hard to find a solution as quickly as possible.

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  • You should also work hard to find a solution as long as you are employed by the company. What you shouldn't do is "give up" simply because you plan on leaving.
    – Donald
    Commented Aug 21, 2017 at 17:42
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Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time?

Do both. Explain to your manager that you are behind your timeline, AND work extremely hard to meet your original deadline.

The mess will be infinitely greater at deadline time, and the obvious question would be "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

When you explain to your manager, emphasize the positive parts (your working program), and do not lay too much blame on yourself. You may have had unrealistic expectations, and the technical piece may be harder than you originally thought.

Be ready to present options to your manager if your manager requests, such as an estimate of the amount of work remaining, and a new deadline.

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Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time?

You should stop and analyze carefully your situation here. If you consider you definitely can't finish on time you should speak to your manager ASAP. Explain to him that it is not possible to achieve the project on time with the current resources available. Also do have a plan on what to do next, as your manager will probably ask you that.

If on the other hand you consider you can finish it on time with some effort, you should go for it, but still inform your manager about the situation. Tell him that you will have to rush things a bit and work with your manager to create a plan that will work out.

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