Argthtjtr

There are a number of reasonable responses you could make. That one is rather extreme. In particular, the way you've presented it it sounds rather like blackmail - something you might not want to present the appearance of.

The better way to handle it, I think, would be a bit of an adjustment. Straight up tell the man that there is too much work to get it done in the time allotted, especially given your PTO. Explain why. Tell him when you'd leave work to burn off your PTO and how much you expect that you could get done by then. Tell him how much time you'd need to get it done right, and what that would have to mean for your departure date. If he insists that you get it all done anyway without giving you the time to do it, tell him that you refuse to put in lousy work and offer to leave immediately.

You still get the meat of your argument across, but it's "If you're utterly unreasonable, I'll leave" rather than "If you don't promise to keep me on for extra time, I'll leave." The second is rather more dubious than the first.

Act out of professionalism, not out of spite.

That said, you can act professionally without making it easy for them.

You need to get your resume out, NOW

Start scheduling interviews ASAP, take time off if you need to, with or without compensation for those interviews

DO THE MINIMUM REQUIRED

It's not personal for them, it shouldn't be for you. They are not owed anything more than your basic output.

THEIR DEADLINES ARE NO LONGER YOUR CONCERN

You won't be there for the end of project, since they cut you off before it could be reasonably completed, don't kill yourself to get it done on time. Being professional does not mean going the extra mile for someone who is showing you no loyalty in return.

YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THEM IN A LURCH, THEY ARE LEAVING THEMSELVES IN ONE

It's not your fault that they cut you off without giving you time to complete the project. Go to work, put in an honest day's effort, but arrive exactly on the hour, leave exactly on the hour, take your allotted breaks, and don't concern yourself.

DO NOT NEGOTIATE, DO NOT TRUST

They have shown a complete disregard for you, even if you did manage to get them to agree to keep you until July, they'd likely have security escort you to the door 30 seconds after they verified the project complete.

You're angry now, but there is nothing to be gained by trying to negotiate with people who have already proven that they will act in bad faith. Stay above it all, but don't negotiate. They are not trustworthy.

LEAVE ON A HIGH NOTE

Do your work, do it well, don't stay late or come in early, but put in a full day and be above reproach. If they yell and scream, and try to pressure you, simply tell them that you are sorry, but because you are leaving four months earlier than expected, you simply don't have the time to dedicate to their project, as you have to plan for a period of unemployment and job hunting.

Then, do your work.

On your last day, send out a broadcast email saying what a pleasure it has been to work there, and move on.

They are not worth your time. Give your next employer your efforts, they have acted on bad faith and don't deserve anything more than a view of the back of your head as you walk away.

Consider, the time to complete the project and your end date are not related in any way.

My first position would be to develop a reasonable timeline for the project then present that to management, irrespective of your end date.

At that point, they can either

• pay out your PTO and end the contract early


• offer you an extension until the project is complete


• have you insert some project time to hand it over to a remaining employee to complete.

Since you are already prepared to leave early, it's seems there is little risk to giving them a choice.

You should explain to your boss exactly why the timeline for this project is unreasonable. If they still decide that your end date remains unchanged then you simply do your assigned work to the best of your ability until either that date has arrived or you have found a new job. You should be looking for a new job no matter what while you still have one as you know that you will likely no longer be working with this company in the future.

Also, one thing to consider about end dates is that they can be extended. I have worked at a company that was bought out and all employees were given end dates but some were extended due to the circumstances regarding unfinished work that was still necessary. If this project is as important as you have implied, it is possible to have your end date extended however I wouldn't count on that. Brush up your resume and start applying to new companies.

Because of this, I am planning on giving them an ultimatum: they can either guarantee me work until the official end-date of my contract (in July), or I will leave immediately without doing any work on this project.

Assuming you are not bluffing, this gives you two possible outcomes:
a.) You are without a job now.
b.) You are without a job in July.

Would you consider this course of action reasonable? If so, would there be any downsides, besides the possibility of being unemployed for a few months?

I don't see any other downsides, but I don't think it is the best alternative out there.
Either way you will have to look for a new job, so you should as soon as possible.

My contract gives both parties the right to sever it at any time, so I am within my rights.

This gives you the option to quit the moment you got your new job. This seems more flexible to me than to look for a job that starts exactly when your contract is finished.
You don't owe your employer finishing the project.

Would you consider this course of action reasonable? If so, would there be any downsides, besides the possibility of being unemployed for a few months?

It's not unreasonable, although I would be more focused on job-hunting than giving ultimatums.

The downside of being unemployed is that it makes the process of job-hunting more difficult for several reasons (some exposed here and here), not to mention the lack of income and having to depend on savings, etc., so I say that your priority should be in finding a new job.

I suggest you simultaneously do the following:

• Job-hunt ASAP. Start looking for new jobs, interviews, etc right now, while you are still employed.




• Start working on the docs and tests, but also expose to your boss the reasons why such due date is not achievable, and present a date that you consider could be achieved. This will give you at least until March to line up a new job and avoid the unemployment gap.

However, if your boss continues to be unreasonable, and you feel OK and confident in giving the ultimatum (and its possible outcomes), then the way to go is to proceed to give it.

Just, whatever you do, start job-hunting ASAP.

Complex or not, you are paid contractually. Trying to finish the complex project is the goal for your boss, but the goal for you, as a contractor worker, is to show up and do your best work.

Simply put, if finishing is not reasonable, you should tell him you probably won't finish in the time allotted, but you will do your best.

A professional way to look at this in the way of project management.

The basic variables are:

• Number of people


• Length of elapsed time.


• Quality


• Scope

As everyone ever responsible for managing a software project has learnt, you have to explain to stakeholders that you cannot fix all of these externally and expect it to add up.

If the company wants to fix the project scope, then they need to vary something else.

Alternatively, you can make the scope a variable. Break the project up into the usual 2-3 day tasks and require the business to prioritise on a regular basis. You simply work through them in order and get as far as you can.

A side effect of this approach in your context is that if by the end of March you are half done, they are in a position to extend. This amount of time is just about enough that if you assign story points to tasks you should have a velocity measure to estimate the overall amount of time required.

Obviously, other answers already articulate some of the ways to communicate this.

Bottom line: Try to take the high ground, and at the same time have a contingency plan for yourself.