Dear Bob ... When you work really hard on something, you have "pride in your craft" as well as a natural desire to see the end result of the whole project appear to best advantage when shipped. How can you keep from being prevailed on to do additional work that somebody else on the project should have done? As a consultant, I know it's sort-of okay if they pay me for it (and some of it does get paid f Dear Bob …When you work really hard on something, you have “pride in your craft” as well as a natural desire to see the end result of the whole project appear to best advantage when shipped. How can you keep from being prevailed on to do additional work that somebody else on the project should have done?As a consultant, I know it’s sort-of okay if they pay me for it (and some of it does get paid for) or it leads to future work. On the other hand, we would prefer to work fewer than 7 days a week and get paid less. Besides, it’s enabling behavior for the co-workers (who are employees, won’t get paid less or recognized less, and the direct budget line between the extra I get paid and what they didn’t do won’t exist).So, when we really want a project to succeed it’s easy for this to happen. What’s the best way to say “no”?I think I know what you are going to say, but want to confirm. We do spend a lot of time in various situations asking “what would Bob do?” before going ahead. – Tired of freebiesDear Tired …No, no, no. There just aren’t going to be any WWBD bracelets, and that’s final! You’re asking one of those unanswerable questions, because so much depends on the nuances of your relationship with your client. Here are some possibilities, at least:* If you are a consultant with a consulting company, there should be an account manager. Make it the account manager’s problem. “I want the account to succeed and I want the project to succeed. I’m not, however, an altruist. While I recognize that as a professional I’m not working a nine-to-five job, I hope you recognize that in a professional engagement, seven-day work weeks should be reserved for exceptional circumstances. If we’re going to do this work, the client should allow us to staff for it and pay us for it.”* If, on the other hand, you’re an independent or are doubling as the relationship manager yourself, ask yourself whether your relationship with your opposite number inside the company is strong enough to let you have a candid conversation about the situation. If it isn’t, that’s where you should start, because it’s like every other aspect of business: The quality of the interpersonal relationships determines the outcome far more than any formal logic or criteria. * If you’re a contracted professional on a project team, and it’s the project manager who is asking you to cover for a non-performing employee, you’re in a better position to have a candid conversation, I’d think. “Look, I’m happy to help out, to a point. What you’re asking me to do, though, is to do work for which I’m not getting paid because you can’t get employees to do the work when they are paid to do it. If you want me to work seven day weeks and cover these tasks, let’s at least negotiate a fair price for it.”* If you don’t think you’re in a position to have any of the above conversations without taking on risk, you have to decide if the work is worth it or not. If it is, stay silent, shrug, and be comfortable that you made a conscious decision. If it isn’t, take the risk, perhaps more formally, by asking the project manager or your contact for a meeting to review your contractual obligations and compare them to the work you’re actually being asked to take on.As I say, you have to judge what level of formality the conversation should have and who it should be with. I’ve found that often, a discussion after work hours, held in conjunction with some form of hopps, malt and barley-based beverage, can be the most productive. – Bob ——– Technology Industry