Page 240 -

M ANY MANAGEMENT BOOKS sell themselves as lists of “best practices” that, if followed, will yield

projects that are planned and executed smoothly and without any problems. Most people
who try to follow those practices find that it is much harder to do in practice than the
books led them to believe. Projects are not always predictable. The organization’s needs
may change; people may quit or be transferred into or out of the team; or the goals of the
project or the climate in which the organization does its business may change. A project
manager usually cannot control any of these things.

The tools and techniques in this book will help solve the most common problems that
plague software projects. But there are many other ways that a project can go wrong, and
it is impossible to prepare in advance for all of them. It is up to you, the project manager,
to be smart. You should use these tools when you can. But you will undoubtedly come
across issues or problems that these practices simply do not address, and it is your job to
think your way through the solution. If you keep in mind some sound engineering princi-
ples and fundamental ideas about management, you stand a better chance of leading your
projects through these problems and, in the end, delivering better software.

It is also part of your job as a manager and a leader to adequately explain the decisions
that you are making, and to keep the team’s interest in line with the organization’s inter-
ests—and vice versa. You must do this by working with senior management to understand
their goals and needs, and helping them understand that the changes you are making will
help them achieve those goals. You must also work with each team member to under-
stand her goals and needs, and help her understand the job that she must perform. If you
do this, you will ensure that the software is mutually beneficial for both the organization
and the individuals building it.

In a sense, part of the job of the project manager is to serve as an information conduit. You
help information flow from the team up to senior management in the form of project sta-
tus and analysis information. It is your job to understand all of the work being done, so
that it can be summarized to the people who make the decisions about the future of the
project; they need this information to make informed and intelligent decisions. This
requires that the project manager put a lot of effort into understanding what it is the team
is doing and why they are doing it. The project manager cannot simply ask for estimates,

fit those estimates in a schedule, and quiz the team on the percentage they’ve completed.
He must understand what actions each team member is taking to complete the task, and
what possible complications they are running into. The project manager is the only person
looking at how the tasks interrelate; he is the only one with the perspective to see the
problems and, ideally, fix them.

Take Responsibility
The world is full of frustrated project managers. Frustrations come in many forms. Some
project managers are assigned projects, but have to fight for the people to do those
projects. Others have inadequate office space, computers, or networks. Many project

232 CHAPTER TEN