#005A - Don’t test on moving targets
About Pressure, Panic, and Premature Decisions
Context
You’re managing a complex IT transformation with a hard dependency on UAT (User Acceptance Testing).
The program includes:
a mainframe migration
application modernization
infrastructure changes managed by a third-party vendor
a scheduled datacenter exit tied directly to go-live
UAT completion is a mandatory gate:
no UAT → no go-live
no go-live → no datacenter exit
no exit → significant ongoing cost
There is no slack left in the plan.
The Situation
It’s Thursday morning. UAT is scheduled to start on Monday.
You're drinking your coffee in peace, when the infrastructure vendor sends a short message:
“We’re performing an internal upgrade on the UAT/PROD platform this weekend. During that window, we cannot guarantee SLA or platform stability.”
You immediately realize the implications…and the coffee suddenly gets pretty bitter.
If UAT fails or is compromised, go-live is at risk => the migration cutover slips => the datacenter exit moves => costs increase rapidly. All stakeholders would have a pretty bad day at work.
You haven’t even had time to assess the situation. But others already have strong opinions on what must be done.
The Noise Arrives
Your Slack and inbox explode. Messages start coming in from all directions:
“We need a decision now.”
“The client must not find out yet.”
“Can’t we just move UAT earlier?”
“Let’s spin up another environment.”
“We can’t afford a delay.”
Within minutes, your own team starts proposing solutions.
You haven’t spoken to the vendor. You don’t know why the upgrade is happening. You don’t know whether it can be moved.
Yet you’re being pushed to decide on the spot.
The Four Options Everyone Will Push You Toward
Before you even finish reading the vendor message, the discussion crystallizes into four “obvious” paths:
Option A — Move UAT earlier
“Let’s test before the upgrade. That way we’re done before anything changes.”
Option B — Use a temporary UAT environment
“We can quickly spin one up. Hey, it’s only for testing, no big deal.”
Option C — Run UAT during the upgrade
“Maybe nothing will happen. The vendor said cannot guarantee, not will fail.”
Option D — Postpone UAT
“We must delay and deal with the impact later.”
All four options are being pushed before any facts are known.
Everyone wants movement. No one wants uncertainty.
The Real Pressure
The pressure is not technical.
The pressure is psychological.
People want action & clear direction, not understanding
Silence feels like inaction
Delay feels like incompetence
“Doing something” feels safer than pausing
You feel the expectation to decide quickly, even though:
you don’t understand the vendor’s constraints
you don’t know whether the upgrade is mandatory
you don’t know whether it was scheduled intentionally
you don’t know whether it can be rescheduled
you don’t know the actual risk to UAT
Yet everyone is waiting for your call.
The Uncomfortable Moment
You realize something important: Every option being discussed assumes that you must decide right now. But you haven’t even answered the most basic question yet.
The Question No One Has Asked
Before selecting any option, one question matters more than all others: Why is the vendor upgrading during our UAT window?
You don’t know:
whether the vendor was aware of your UAT schedule
whether this upgrade is truly unavoidable
whether it can be postponed
whether it’s driven by internal policy
whether PROD is affected
who approved it
Until you collect facts and understand:
the cause
the flexibility
the constraints
any decision you make is pure guesswork.
Yet the pressure continues.
Where This Leaves You
You are the Project Manager.
You are accountable for:
UAT integrity
go-live readiness
migration safety
stakeholder confidence
You are surrounded by:
urgency
opinions
fear of delay
fear of escalation
fear of “doing nothing”
You have not decided anything yet.
But the expectation is clear: You must set the course.
Your Turn as the PM
Pause here.
Do not jump to solutions.
Think carefully.
1) What is actually happening here — technically and organizationally?
What do you know for sure?
What is still unknown?
What assumptions are being made by others?
2) Which of the four options is the most dangerous — and why?
Which one looks reasonable but carries hidden risk?
Which one gives the illusion of progress?
3) What is the real decision that must be made first?
Is it about UAT?
Or about something else?
What is TRULY important?
4) Who needs to be involved before any decision is taken?
Vendor?
Client?
Steering committee?
Architecture?
Security?
Nobody yet?
5) What happens if you don’t decide right now / today?
What is the real risk of waiting?
What is the perceived risk?
Who is uncomfortable — and why?
This scenario is not about infrastructure. Not at all. It’s about how PMs behave under pressure.
Will you react under pressure, or pause to understand first? Or perhaps do something else instead?