Comments on Pawel Brodzinski on Software Project Management: Micromanagement

There's a simple method to restrain a temptation t...

2006-11-22T19:22:00.000+01:00

There's a simple method to restrain a temptation to look for Wallys in a team/project/whatever: imagine there were no "Wally" and you personally had to do all his work. Would you really do it better?

If the answer is usually positive you're either a genius or (most likely) just mistaken.

There was a good article a few years ago in the Ha...

2006-11-22T05:41:00.000+01:00

There was a good article a few years ago in the Harvard Business Review by Jim Collins entitled "The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve" ... it is really aimed at CEO-types, but I have adapted it pretty successfully to my "Project Rescue Operations" consulting practice.

The thing about Dilbert is that while "real" managers are (at least usually) trying to be competent, they sometimes come off looking just as clueless as Dilbert's manager. And, of course, from a management perspective, it is easy to begin to believe that Wally keeps showing up on your project in different incarnations.

Oh well ... Onward through the fog!

http://hither-and-yon.blogspot.com/2006/11/why-projects-fail.html

Oh, I missed Dilbert's Manager demon - somehow I a...

2006-11-18T12:18:00.000+01:00

Oh, I missed Dilbert's Manager demon - somehow I assumed that manager is at least trying to be competent and sometimes that's not true.

You're also right about the success which endroses manager's belief about his infallibility and wide and deep knowledge about everything.

Good thoughts. I especially like your "demon" met...

2006-11-17T21:48:00.000+01:00

Good thoughts. I especially like your "demon" metaphors.

As a software project manager (and manager of project managers) who was once a very good coder, I am certainly aware of the temptations. It seems to me that the key is to avoide the "Dilbert's Manager Demon" ... the one that says "Everything I don't understand is easy."

It is very easy ... especially as a project begins to have real success ... to forget that as the PM you may have the best view of the overall direction, but somebody knows more than you do about everything (even if that takes several somebodies).

http://hither-and-yon.blogspot.com/