The boss challenge

The General Manager of MyBudget emailed all his project managers and engineers:

"I want everyone in the meeting room immediately after lunch. We have a project in hand!"

John, a project manager, glanced at his colleague, Timothy.

“I thought we were already working on a crucial project!”
Timothy just smiled, “Hmm, feels like something urgent.”

By 3 PM, the room was full. The boss walked in while everyone looked curious. He said:

“We have a new task from a car rental agency. You need to build an app with an exclusive algorithm that calculates real-time rental rates. It must adjust pricing based on demand, consider peak hours, and include promotional offers that don’t hurt revenue. John, Timothy—you’re leading this. Give me your team list before the day ends.”

_{This is the continuation of the story, enjoy friend}

The boss left immediately, while John and Timothy waited, trying to figure out the task. They knew the boss didn't tolerate failure.
John and Timothy wasted no time.

Did you notice the boss's look? Looks like he had a misunderstanding with his wife at home...John said, looking left and right, to see whether someone was eavesdropping on their conversation.

But Timothy refused to ignore. Are you really serious...Now I understand why you're still single. Single people are the ones with the best relationship advice, Timothy, and stood up.

Emm.... engineer Jackson delivered an excellent project over the last 2 years. I would like to work with him again. What do you think? John asked giving Timothy a soft look.

First, we must know what we need, then we select the engineer for the team. I have someone in mind.....but, guy, you first," he gave him a smile.

After discussing and understanding the task, John and Timothy made a list of the engineers they need and why they need them. Among the engineers are:

• Engineer Emmanuel – backend logic and database
• Engineer Tobi – user interface and app Engineer Michael – rate algorithm specialist
• Engineer Jackson – quality assurance & testing
• Engineer Samuel – data analytics & traffic monitoring.

The team was selected, names submitted to the boss, and the mission began.

I should email Jackson. Have you seen him today? Timothy asked, but John didn't respond; he nodded. I have strange feelings about this project, maybe the boss should have given us a long time.

You'd better not dwell in it. Remember, this is not our first time, we always delivered, don't let me down, man..... believe me.. Timothy continue... You never know what awaits us after this project.

Why us, didn't you see the way the boss just left everyone behind and focus only on us... John replied. What if he's trying to set us up so that he can fire us?

At this point, Timothy stood up and said, You always doubt, please let's get to work. By the way, my lovely wife wants to do a family get-together, I don't mind you coming with me... Timothy continues. I want to teach a family lifestyle". He had a side smile while walking away from him.

Before closing from work, they email the selected engineer and schedule a meeting the next day.

The next day, they all gathered to share responsibilities and tasks.

Engineer Samuel will work on traffic and demand data. Engineer Emmanuel will build the algorithm’s foundation. Engineer Tobi will work on a sleek UI while Engineer Michael handles the pricing structure logic.

Before dismissing the brief meeting, John advised everyone: Guys, I know you all have been doing the best all the time. But we need that same energy. I know you guys wouldn't fall out of hand, let's do this..... They all cheer in agreement.

The prototype began to take shape. Things looked promising—until a glitch almost crashed the entire rate system.

Promotional offers were being triggered for all users, even during high-demand hours.
“That would kill the revenue,” said Michael.
Emmanuel quickly traced the issue to a logic error. The fix took two sleepless nights and intense testing.

Just when they were testing the final functions, Jackson raised another bad news:
“Some users are seeing outdated prices, and real-time updates aren’t syncing.”

But good enough, they managed to figure out where the issue was and the problem was fixed. They fixed the API flow and rebuilt the cache system.
It was close. Very close.

The team gathered in the boardroom. John and Timothy presented the app:

_{image generated by ai}

• Real-time price adjustment ✅
• Peak/off-peak awareness ✅
  Targeted promotions ✅
• Clean interface ✅

The boss watched carefully… then smiled.

“This is impressive. You’ve done more than I asked.”

He stood and clapped.

“As a reward, I’m sending all of you on a two-week paid vacation. Choose anywhere. You’ve earned it.”

That evening, the team met at a small lounge. They laughed over the glitches, the long nights, and the almost-failures.

John raised a glass:
“To teamwork, determination, and the best glitch-fixers I know.” That's all. Cheers in celebration of their successful project.

What I learned from this story

This challenge reminded me that real success comes when people work together. The project wasn’t perfect—but no one gave up.

I invite @emmaboy23, @josepha @etette to participate.

Cc;
@dove1