What is one time you had to stand up and disagree with a team member's approach?

Question Analysis

This is a behavioral interview question aimed at understanding your conflict resolution skills, assertiveness, and ability to maintain professionalism in challenging situations. The interviewer wants to see how you handle disagreements, communicate your perspective, and work towards a constructive outcome. It's important to showcase your ability to balance advocating for your ideas while maintaining a collaborative team environment.

Answer

Situation: In a project at my previous job, our team was tasked with developing a new feature for our software product. One of my colleagues proposed an approach that involved using a new technology that the rest of the team, including myself, was not familiar with.

Task: I believed that implementing this new technology could potentially delay the project due to the steep learning curve involved. My responsibility was to ensure that the project stayed on track and was completed within the deadline.

Action: I decided to express my concerns during a team meeting. I respectfully acknowledged the potential benefits of using the new technology but highlighted the risks associated with the learning curve and tight deadlines. I suggested we conduct a quick feasibility study to assess whether the time investment would be justified. Additionally, I proposed an alternative approach using technology that the team was already familiar with, which I believed could meet the project requirements effectively.

Result: After some discussion and consideration, the team agreed to perform a brief feasibility study. The study revealed that the new technology would indeed require significant time to master. Consequently, we decided to proceed with the alternative approach, which allowed us to meet our project deadline successfully. The team appreciated my initiative in addressing the potential issue early on, and it enhanced our collaborative decision-making process.