Six people, six tools, one month

Mock Q8 · Pass, with one line to cut · 4 min

In one breath

Ask what, how often, how many people, and whether there's a workaround. Do the arithmetic, clear the one-hour scripts first, and put the rest in a visible queue the lead signs off on, so "the list says no, not me". Say no with a date.

Upgrades

Make the queue visible. A shared backlog (in progress / next / why), with priorities agreed with a lead. "I wouldn't want to be the one deciding whose work matters most. That's the lead's call, and I'd bring them the costs."
Finish the arithmetic. Value = time saved per use × frequency × people, vs build cost. Renaming 2,000 assets by hand is ~5 hours, so a 1-hour script can beat the "more important" tool. A huge-ROI nice-to-have can outrank a rare blocker.
Smallest useful version first. Two of six are usually an hour of Editor Utility / Python.
Tiebreaker: what's on the critical path for the next milestone. That's a question for the lead.
No with a date: "Not this sprint, it's after X. If it's more urgent than X, raise it with [lead] and I'll swap them."

Cut this line

"A few extra hours from me" / "I spend my spare time doing dev work anyway." It dodges the question, and studios screen against crunch. Attach "team player" to helping at a launch, never to fitting six tools into a month.

45-second answer

"First I'd talk to all six: what's the task, how often, how many people, and is there a workaround. Blocked work outranks slow work, but I'd do the arithmetic. A renamer for 2,000 assets can be worth more than a tool that sounds more important. Then I'd clear anything that's an hour of scripting straight away, and put the rest in a visible queue with priorities agreed with the lead, so it's the schedule saying no, not me. When I defer something I give it a date and a route to change it."

Quiz yourself

What's the formula for a tool's value?

Time saved per use × frequency × people affected, compared with the build cost.

How do you say no to five people without it being personal?

A visible queue with priorities agreed with the lead: the list says no. Give a date and a route to escalate.

Which line do you cut, and why?

"I'll put in extra hours." It dodges prioritisation, and studios screen against crunch.

What's the honest tiebreaker between two blocking requests?

Which one is on the critical path for the next milestone, and the lead decides.