The Right Time to Resign

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It's important to give notice well ahead of resigning. Since you are very important to the project, your superior may either try to renegotiate so you do not resign(don't stay anyway), try to fire you before your deadline, or be suspicious of you and ask that you leave immediately so as not to hide or copy data or pollute other team members who are staying.
However, it is important to give advance notice and risk all the above than leave in a way that the organization suffers. Prospective employers will want to know your track record and if they notice that you left important projects midway and they did not complete or succeed, that will be bad PR for you.
BUT never think you are indispensable. If you die today, the organization will realign almost immediately. It is good leadership practice to build an institution that will endure long after you have left. keep this in mind.
Anytime is a good time to leave. you owe n apologies for leaving.

matthew 3:21PM September 08, 2009

To lessen your guilt, answer this question. When the layoffs come, How much notice do your co workers typically get? It is interesting that companies insist on notice, but tend not to give it before a layoff.
I once worked at a company and they called us in two hours before the end of our shift to announce that we were all laid off. The passed out final checks, had us sign some papers, and told us how sorry they were. Surely, they knew that the department was shutting down in advance.
One of the guys just bought a new car the week before and he kept saying, If they had only told me sooner, I would have waited on the car.
My projects tended to be shorter, so I have been able to give notice to coincide with the end of a project. Now I work as a consultant, so quitting before the end of a project is not even an option.
I'm guessing that in a year when your project ends, they would either start you on a new project or lay you off. It may be difficult to find a good opening at that precise time.
The main reason for the change is you aren't happy there. Why spend you time working there when you could be doing something you like? If it was just a month or two, I would say wait it out but a year is a long time.

Frank of CA 2:01PM July 28, 2009

Thanks for the excellent advice (and great comments at the end of the article). I am the person who e-mailed the original question to the Ask A Manager blog. I guess part of the reason I was feeling guilt about my intention to leave was because I have developed some professional rapport and camaraderie with my colleagues. I know the types of issues and difficulties they are going to have if someone from the team jumps ship. I have also heard their jokes about turnover in the middle of the project.
However, my primary loyalty should be to my family and my own personal development in my career. I shouldn't make my career decisions based on someone else's timetable. If I land a job before the project ends I will follow your advice and will give them as much notice as possible and will do what I can to make the transition a smooth one for the team.

J.Smith of DC 6:45PM April 14, 2009

The right time to resign is whenever is the best time for YOU. In terms of when is best for the company, the answer is of course, NEVER. lol. Companies should have a plan in place to cover temporarily for any roles that are vacated, but even if there is no formal plan in place, the company will always make do, even if it pushes a deadline or milestone forward a bit.
In terms of the Presidency, yes, even they have a back-up plan, Vice President.
As long as you are giving a reasonable amount of notice, professional bosses will not hold a resignation against you...if they held grudges for people who resigned, that would be an awful lot of grudges to hold.

Just another HR lady... 10:29AM April 14, 2009

When I was in the workforce (I'm retired now), I was always told to never make myself indispensable - it may make you feel important to be the only person capable of doing a particular job, but it can also hurt you.
Always train a backup that can step into your place. This allows you to take time off (like sick or maternity leave), vacation, or even move to a better position without leaving a hole behind.

Paul 11:21PM April 13, 2009

As a Business Analyst who by the nature of my work becomes the most knowledgeable person on any given project, I make sure to give plenty of notice when I decide to move on after finishing a commitment.
This is because even though of course I can be replaced, leaving a project in the middle puts a huge burden in the rest of the team and in your replacement, particularly when you are the one person in the project dedicating 8 hours per day to understand its details.
So, I think that the person who wrote is right to be concerned, and also that Alison's advice is right on - give a reasonable amount of notice to help reduce the impact and you should be fine.

A. Olive of NY 10:21PM April 13, 2009