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just jumping in and making any small changes that are needed by the organization. This is
one of the most common complaints that project managers hear when trying to implement
a reasonable planning process.
In fact, it is the planning process itself that provides the most opportunity for flexibility.
It’s very difficult to figure out which changes are easily contained, and which ones will
have much larger consequences. Sometimes a change that seems tiny will require a large
coding effort, while a change that seems large from a user perspective is actually relatively
minor to implement but could have a lot of testing implications. The only way to get an
accurate picture is by engaging the team and having them estimate the impact of the
change—preferably using a change control process (see Chapter 6). Controlling the
changes will give the organization the most flexibility.

Manage Your Team

Many project managers—especially those who have been promoted from technical posi-
tions—feel like their primary job function is to understand the job each team member is
doing. Often the best programmer, designer, or tester will be promoted into a manage-
ment position. And in many cases, this is a very good choice, because it’s important for a
manager to understand the work being done by the team. Sometimes the project manager
is also the direct manager of each team member, and in this case, he is especially vulnera-
ble to certain management pitfalls.
Understanding the work that the team is doing is very important; however, the primary
task of a manager is to have the right people do the correct work and, ultimately, to get
the tasks done in the most efficient and least problematic way. The first instinct of a man-
ager who got to where he is by being a good programmer will be to be the best program-
mer on the team. That’s not what the team needs—they need someone to make decisions,
provide guidance, and prioritize their tasks. If all he does is “get his hands dirty” by solving
programming problems for his team, they will not only sense a lack of direction from their
manager, but may also feel demotivated because their work is not valued.

In contrast, some managers understand that their job is to delegate. But while delegation
is an important part of management, it must be done with a good understanding of the

work being delegated. The manager may not be the best engineer in the group, or even be
able to perform all of the engineering tasks he assigns. He should, however, understand
the goals and limitations of each task, and be able to offer real guidance if team members
get stuck or need help. That’s much harder than delegating: while he’s trusted a team
member to accomplish the task, he must still understand enough about it to be useful if
that team member encounters a problem.

Good managers usually feel a little guilty about being managers. They know that their
people are good, and they want them to succeed. But this necessarily involves riding their
coattails. As a manager, you might feel that in some ways you are not making a direct con-
tribution by producing work products. This is a good feeling: embrace it. Recognize that

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