I am collaborating with multiple people on a project. I just found out that one of my collaborators is presenting the work (which is still in progress) on a major conference in my field. I feel like this should have been discussed first (and I would have also liked to be the one to present). Is it usual that this is done without discussion? Is it just the first one that organizes a talk that gets to give it? (We also were still somewhat secretive about discussion the ongoing project since we believe they will be quite a breakthrough so it comes as an additional surprise.) I guess I should have started the discussion on how we will present our work earlier.
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1I have worked on a few collaborations. Any member choosing to "publicize" or "present" the work always informs the group first and includes all its members (I am an undergrad and I am always included in the notifications). The only exception is when the Project Head chooses to do so but even then a small vote is taken whether the time is right or not. Especially if it's a conference paper, everyone who is relevant, their names are added and they are informed that a paper is being made.– AcademicMar 22, 2021 at 10:52
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Generally speaking, people should check with their collaborators before presenting joint work, including work in progress that may be controversial. An exception might be an individual invitation for work that has been published and presented previously.
Certain fields, like particle physics, often have very large collaborations, and they usually implement very formal procedures for deciding who gets to represent the collaboration at what conference, and what official material can be presented.
If you don't have a formal mechanism in place, you're right it's probably good to chat with your colleagues in advance to set the ground rules.
