Though, it's because the sponsor is trying to process through our stuff to make some suggestions.

I got other tasks as well around this project.

These other tasks are pretty close to done.

That's a pain. How are you supposed to deliver if scope is undefined?

We got to clarify with a proposal

Is this what you have in mind?

More or less.

I usually just treat scope as a scope statement and leave the details in the schedule, but it seems PMI dictates that all the tasks being in the scope portion and the schedule is just timing and dependencies.

With one of the proposals, I fear that one of the things I worked on would be useless.

And my boss is telling me to "look forward."

It'll probably make more sense to me after my nap.

He was saying how this one thing that i worked on might seem useless now, it doesnt mean scrap it. Just keep it just in case.

Like how we never know our research will be useful until decades later.

also, you can't get that time back

He's basically reminding you of the "Sunk cost fallacy." That's a promising sign that your boss is a man of integrity.

I dont know the sunk cost fallacy.

Can you explain it?

Based on what I've read of it, i dont see how it applies.

Software development is pretty different. You could create tools that you wind up not using, but you could salvage for another problem.

In this case, it's time and effort.

Yes

What @Deleted User said

He's dumped a lot of time and effort into a feature. However, since there's no way to recoup that "cost," it doesn't make sense to let it factor into your decisions.

that said, the absence of reward for work done is a motivational hygiene called extinction.

And, this specifically was illustrated in class. Engineers do some work, the boss says, yeah, we're not going this direction anymore, scrap it all. Engineers stop trying so hard and even quit.

i think i'm thick 😧

I dont think this logic applies very well with my situation at the moment.

never know what you're talking about

He's telling me to keep this piece because it may become useful for our sponsor again.

I may be misinterpreting too.

Im exhausted.

I am pretty sure clients can be charged for changing direction

At least in my case they do

For this, i interpret it as the logic that you don't always know whether what you're working on will impact society or be useful.

And the sponsor isnt changing directions, just we're trying to figure out what they want.

Then there is a communication problem

Exactly.

Are you using agile

Scrum ?

For project management

And with our clarification, the thing we're working on might become less useful.