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During one of my project meetings yesterday it turned out that the equipment that is needed for the development environment (to be in place by March 31) has not been ordered yet (and the delivery time is 6 weeks - you do the math). This was a month after a meeting, where everyone thought all the questions about equipment had been resolved. Apparently, the group responsible for the ordering needed a detailed equipment specifications list with the sign off from all major project participants. However, that group didn't speak up that they needed the spec list, and nobody thought to ask them whether they needed anything to proceed with the order. As a result, the project is now at a serious risk of not having the development environment ready in time to start Systems Integration and User Acceptance Testing. That means that testing may need to be cut short, and we all know what happens to systems that haven't been properly tested.

Lesson number one: never assume anything! It's better to acquire a reputation for annoying people with repeated question as to whether everyone agrees on a decision or whether anyone needs anything before next steps can be taken, rather than put your work in jeopardy later. During my tenure in the technology world, I have acquired the nickname "pitbull" - precisely because I refused to let people out of the room or off the phone until everyone had a very clear idea what was agreed upon and who was responsible for doing what next. It didn't make me very popular, but it certainly helped me get the job done. This principle applies to other areas of business and even to your personal life. It works very well, whether you are placing an urgent order for 500 glossy spiral-bound brochures at Kinko's or whether you are planning a party at your house with your spouse or significant other. Don't assume that the guy at Kinko's knows that your brochures are supposed to be glossy and spiral-bound and that you need them in 2 hours. Don't assume that your spouse is going to read your mind and know to buy five packs of rolls for the party. Don't assume anything.

Have you ever had a situation when you had, say, an issue with your transmission and you took your car to a shop to get fixed, but their "transmission specialist" wasn't available that day, so you had to figure out when you could take more time off from work to bring your car back, once the said specialist was finally available? I hate that. I hate the concept of an "expert". Yes, of course, there

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