Give Them a Management Compatibility Self-Test

Don walked into my office and told me he wanted to be a Manager. Although surprised, I was also excited to help my most dependable Senior Software Engineer make this transition, because I once stood in his shoes. We mapped out a transition plan and it only took a few weeks before the perfect opportunity surfaced to get us started. (more…)

I have turned around numerous failing software projects in my career, each of which has been unique in terms of what was at stake, the technologies used, the type of product being developed, and of course the interpersonal dynamics of everyone connected to the project. However, the causal issues that drive these projects off track are often the same. This article will focus at a high level on ten (10) of the most common reasons I have found that projects fail. (more…)

It usually catches you by surprise. At its worst, someone is in your face with raised voice and threatening body language while you are frantically trying to work out in your mind exactly what happened to get you in this embarrassing and offensive situation. Less of a spectacle, but often just as troubling, is the person who shuts down and walks out. Even if you are simply a witness to a tense exchange, that exchange affects everyone within hearing or eyesight negatively. (more…)

A Software Engineer’s definition of “complete” is different from a Manager’s.

When you ask a Software Engineer (developer) if he has “completed” his work, do not walk away satisfied with an answer of “yes,” “almost,” or “90%.” You must be clear on what has been or is almost complete.

To understand a developer’s language, you have to understand the different phases of software product development. (more…)

You have a great product or service idea. You hire the best people to make it happen. Everything seems to be moving along according to plan and then….boom! It blows up in your face. How could everything fall apart, seemingly overnight? The truth is that it has been falling apart for a long time; you just missed the signs. (more…)