How to answer a question in an interview?

Question

Career in IT

Hello, I noticed that they constantly ask the following question at interviews:

On one of the tasks for which you have been put in charge, deadlines are burning, what are your actions?

How to answer such a question, not too primitively, and how to act in such cases? What does the employer want to hear?

Answer 1

To limit with the customer (internal or external - it doesn’t matter) the minimum required functionality for the task that can be implemented on time. And roll out exactly this functionality on time. Finish the rest when the rolls relax.
upd: Then you can clarify that after that you need to analyze the errors and take measures so that this situation does not happen again. :)

Answer 2

And who are you in relation to the task - the performer? teamlead? manager? freelancer?
If the contractor - then notify the immediate supervisor about the problem and risks with deadlines.
If the team leader is to find out the degree of risks from the performers, find out what the problem is (other tasks, lack of qualifications, a sudden blocker has arisen) and resolve the issue with the manager about the timing.
If a manager - find out what the problem is with the team leader and solve the problem with the customer.

Answer 3

The very first thing I ask in response is what is the context
. That is, what is the scope of work, what are the relationships and the contract with the customer, how are things going with the Resources in the company, what is the flow of the project, without all this you will poke into the sky

Answer 4

First of all, there is no single and correct answer to such questions.
It's more of a question for reasoning about specific situations. Since you are not told this "specific situation", it is like getting an ace up your sleeve.
And all you have to do is describe the situation with a real project, where you yourself will clarify the details and the possible development of events (there have already been plenty of comments on this).
For example, a customer wants to get one or another functionality on time. You don't get something, do you? For what reason? bad approach to design or problems in the technical part? How to decide? Use more resources or negotiate with the customer and agree on a compromise.
Think over the answers to these questions specifically for your example. And try to describe several outcomes at once, while removing possible side questions from recruiters. (For example, you concentrate on 1 outcome of events, and he will ask you - "And if this is not so, but like this ....?".
If you prepare all this abstractly, then there will always be an answer to a specific example.