How can I convince my boss that I'm unqualified for a project?
I'm a junior "data scientist" at a research lab. I have a background doing bioinformatics/image processing research and I have a degree in electrical engineering - I've never taken a CS course. My boss isn't technical, and he's assigned me a project that I can't do, and have no desire to learn to do.
He had someone in 1998 create a program that ran on Windows NT that presented stimuli on a screen and collected data from a machine in real-time, down to microsecond accuracy. Now he wants it to run on Windows 10 and he's assigned the migration to me, along with a bunch of high-level features like "I should be able to control it from my phone" and "it should be able to show youtube videos". I've been struggling with the project on the side for several months and I've gotten nowhere. It's in some version of Windows C++ - I've never used C++ of any kind, and I'm not familiar with Windows OS programming; Here's an example of how little I know. It's split into thousands of C files and headers and I can't decipher any of the few comments or the coding style, and I have no documentation. I don't think that I can complete this project for him, but since I'm the "programming guy" at the lab he thinks I can. It's really cutting into my time for my actual data analysis work and it's been incredibly stressful, so much that I dread coming into work when I don't have much assigned and I know I'll have to work on this all day.
How can I convince my boss that I can't do this project? He asked me for a deadline the other week and I told him I can't give one since I don't know what needs to be done and I don't know how to figure out what needs to be done.
Please note that I'm not looking for advice on completing the actual project, or how easy you think it is. This isn't an XY problem. I'm not able to do it and I need help getting my boss to believe me.
software-development project-management
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
add a comment |
I'm a junior "data scientist" at a research lab. I have a background doing bioinformatics/image processing research and I have a degree in electrical engineering - I've never taken a CS course. My boss isn't technical, and he's assigned me a project that I can't do, and have no desire to learn to do.
He had someone in 1998 create a program that ran on Windows NT that presented stimuli on a screen and collected data from a machine in real-time, down to microsecond accuracy. Now he wants it to run on Windows 10 and he's assigned the migration to me, along with a bunch of high-level features like "I should be able to control it from my phone" and "it should be able to show youtube videos". I've been struggling with the project on the side for several months and I've gotten nowhere. It's in some version of Windows C++ - I've never used C++ of any kind, and I'm not familiar with Windows OS programming; Here's an example of how little I know. It's split into thousands of C files and headers and I can't decipher any of the few comments or the coding style, and I have no documentation. I don't think that I can complete this project for him, but since I'm the "programming guy" at the lab he thinks I can. It's really cutting into my time for my actual data analysis work and it's been incredibly stressful, so much that I dread coming into work when I don't have much assigned and I know I'll have to work on this all day.
How can I convince my boss that I can't do this project? He asked me for a deadline the other week and I told him I can't give one since I don't know what needs to be done and I don't know how to figure out what needs to be done.
Please note that I'm not looking for advice on completing the actual project, or how easy you think it is. This isn't an XY problem. I'm not able to do it and I need help getting my boss to believe me.
software-development project-management
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
several months? How many?
– Kilisi
9 mins ago
@Kilisi 5 months so far.
– PascLeRasc
8 mins ago
just tell him, and expect some reaction since you waited 5 months.
– Kilisi
6 mins ago
add a comment |
I'm a junior "data scientist" at a research lab. I have a background doing bioinformatics/image processing research and I have a degree in electrical engineering - I've never taken a CS course. My boss isn't technical, and he's assigned me a project that I can't do, and have no desire to learn to do.
He had someone in 1998 create a program that ran on Windows NT that presented stimuli on a screen and collected data from a machine in real-time, down to microsecond accuracy. Now he wants it to run on Windows 10 and he's assigned the migration to me, along with a bunch of high-level features like "I should be able to control it from my phone" and "it should be able to show youtube videos". I've been struggling with the project on the side for several months and I've gotten nowhere. It's in some version of Windows C++ - I've never used C++ of any kind, and I'm not familiar with Windows OS programming; Here's an example of how little I know. It's split into thousands of C files and headers and I can't decipher any of the few comments or the coding style, and I have no documentation. I don't think that I can complete this project for him, but since I'm the "programming guy" at the lab he thinks I can. It's really cutting into my time for my actual data analysis work and it's been incredibly stressful, so much that I dread coming into work when I don't have much assigned and I know I'll have to work on this all day.
How can I convince my boss that I can't do this project? He asked me for a deadline the other week and I told him I can't give one since I don't know what needs to be done and I don't know how to figure out what needs to be done.
Please note that I'm not looking for advice on completing the actual project, or how easy you think it is. This isn't an XY problem. I'm not able to do it and I need help getting my boss to believe me.
software-development project-management
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
I'm a junior "data scientist" at a research lab. I have a background doing bioinformatics/image processing research and I have a degree in electrical engineering - I've never taken a CS course. My boss isn't technical, and he's assigned me a project that I can't do, and have no desire to learn to do.
He had someone in 1998 create a program that ran on Windows NT that presented stimuli on a screen and collected data from a machine in real-time, down to microsecond accuracy. Now he wants it to run on Windows 10 and he's assigned the migration to me, along with a bunch of high-level features like "I should be able to control it from my phone" and "it should be able to show youtube videos". I've been struggling with the project on the side for several months and I've gotten nowhere. It's in some version of Windows C++ - I've never used C++ of any kind, and I'm not familiar with Windows OS programming; Here's an example of how little I know. It's split into thousands of C files and headers and I can't decipher any of the few comments or the coding style, and I have no documentation. I don't think that I can complete this project for him, but since I'm the "programming guy" at the lab he thinks I can. It's really cutting into my time for my actual data analysis work and it's been incredibly stressful, so much that I dread coming into work when I don't have much assigned and I know I'll have to work on this all day.
How can I convince my boss that I can't do this project? He asked me for a deadline the other week and I told him I can't give one since I don't know what needs to be done and I don't know how to figure out what needs to be done.
Please note that I'm not looking for advice on completing the actual project, or how easy you think it is. This isn't an XY problem. I'm not able to do it and I need help getting my boss to believe me.
software-development project-management
software-development project-management
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
asked 11 mins ago
PascLeRasc
27928
27928
several months? How many?
– Kilisi
9 mins ago
@Kilisi 5 months so far.
– PascLeRasc
8 mins ago
just tell him, and expect some reaction since you waited 5 months.
– Kilisi
6 mins ago
add a comment |
several months? How many?
– Kilisi
9 mins ago
@Kilisi 5 months so far.
– PascLeRasc
8 mins ago
just tell him, and expect some reaction since you waited 5 months.
– Kilisi
6 mins ago
several months? How many?
– Kilisi
9 mins ago
several months? How many?
– Kilisi
9 mins ago
@Kilisi 5 months so far.
– PascLeRasc
8 mins ago
@Kilisi 5 months so far.
– PascLeRasc
8 mins ago
just tell him, and expect some reaction since you waited 5 months.
– Kilisi
6 mins ago
just tell him, and expect some reaction since you waited 5 months.
– Kilisi
6 mins ago
add a comment |
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several months? How many?
– Kilisi
9 mins ago
@Kilisi 5 months so far.
– PascLeRasc
8 mins ago
just tell him, and expect some reaction since you waited 5 months.
– Kilisi
6 mins ago