Advice for a New Software Project Manager?

Tom O'Neill asks: "I have recently been promoted to 'Manager of Software Development' at the small business I work for. I have been developing web-based software professionally for about 6 years. I have seen the software development cycle work and I have seen it fail. Are there any project managers out there with some advice for a green horn like myself? Are there any books or other reading material that I could read in order to manage a software project effectively?"

Comments

History

[telstar]

Pay attention to history ... It's bound to repeat itself.

Based on what I've seen...

[Jerf]

Are there any books or other reading material that I could read in order to manage a software project effectively?

No.

(Semi-serious. The evidence suggests to me that either you can do it (presumably with some practice) or you can't. If there is a group of people who can learn it from books, they are lost in the noise. Nor does there seem to be a way of knowing in advance whether you can. Like I said, semi-serious; I don't fully mean this but it's not fully a joke either.)

Re:Based on what I've seen...

[FatRatBastard]

The evidence suggests to me that either you can do it (presumably with some practice) or you can't.

I'm going to have to disagree with this one. Project Management in general is a pretty mature field. I deal with project managers from the oil, gas and chemical fields every day and these guys and gals are well trained at what they do. There is very little "hey, we're just good at it." Most project managers work their way up the system during their careers, learning different aspects of a project from the bottom of the project team on up. Plus, companies will send project managers to either outside PM training, or for the larger companies will have their own, interior colleges.

The reason all this time and money is spent training project managers is because a good project manager (in those fields) can literally save billions in capital costs, hundreds of millions in lost opportunity costs and workers lives. Project systems are pretty well defined and they usually require proper front-end-loading to make sure the project team knows exactly what they're supposed to be doing it before they actually start execution. Plus, there are formal risk analysis steps performed so the team knows what might come back to bite them in the ass so they can be prepared with the appropriate contingencies.

Now, with respect to software, from what I have seen anecdotally there's just not the same kind of rigor placed on most software projects, even large, very expensive software projects. The upfront definition tends to lack the type of detail you see in other (physical) capital projects. I don't know if its the idea that "Hey, its only software, its no problem if we change crap halfway through implementation" that causes this or something else, but its a killer when it comes to controlling cost and schedule, not to mention the ramifications that has on the project team (low moral, work crunches, throwing bodies at the problem, etc.).

The moral of the story (I'll stop rambling here) is that project management is very much a learned skill. Although its not as mature in the software field and software specific project management training may not be as available as more PM training specific to more traditional industries, its still worth looking to get as much training as possible. It will pay back in spades. Also, as someone above mentioned, network your butt off with other IT PMs. Learn from others what works and what doesn't work. Also, start formulating a company-wide project system with you colleagues. And go read up on the successful IT PM jobs. From what I understand Boeing did an awesome job with the software development associated with the 777. See if there are any case studies about how they did it floating around.

Re:Based on what I've seen...

[Jerf]

Now, with respect to software, from what I have seen anecdotally there's just not the same kind of rigor placed on most software projects, even large, very expensive software projects.

The fundamental problem is that we honestly don't seem to know what rigor to put in. I know what we need. Bob knows what we need. ISO knows what we need. Several book authors know what we need. Unfortunately, many of these things end up quite contradictory, and scientific studies are impractical and borderline impossible. Between that and endlessly moving requirements, we just haven't been able to really nail down what makes a good manager, i.e., what makes for a well managed project. It's not like most engineering projects... or rather, it's just like most other engineering projects, multiplied by ten or twenty.

(And at the risk of sounding elitist, I'd also personally add that the average programmer is really quite astoundingly incompetent, both due to the wildly changing world we live in, and a basic lack of skill (compounded by the difficulty of mentoring in said wildly changing world). Would you want to drive over a bridge where the senior engineer on the project has only three years experience in building bridges? Yet, how can you have much more than three years experience in .Net?)

Every field has its own trials and tribulations, and I don't mean to minimize other fields, but software really is a mess.

I don't know if its the idea that "Hey, its only software, its no problem if we change crap halfway through implementation" that causes this or something else,

I believe the observation goes back all the way to The Mythical Man Month that this, which should be software's greatest asset and turn a software project into something vastly easier to engineer than a bridge, has been turned into its greatest liability through the mechanisms you propose, and the resulting higher-order effects.

The moral of the story (I'll stop rambling here) is that project management is very much a learned skill.

Looking back, what I meant to emphasize more is that you don't seem to be able to pick it up from books, and further that some people can't seem to learn it at all (though that shouldn't be surprising). But I did not say that as clearly as I meant to.

This might change if A: We could nail down a One True Way to manage (not even "the" one true way, "a" would do nicely) and B: Somebody wrote a good book on it. In the meantime, I just haven't seen the evidence that a real manual on management has emerged. You can benefit from a lot of people who will tell you what not to do, but there isn't so much work on what to do.

(Example: The classic Mythical Man Month book has a lot of "don't" essays, including the eponymous one that basically says "don't throw manpower at a project expecting it to be perfectly fungible", but the suggestions on what to do are tentative, untested hypotheses about building software teams on a "surgeon" model, which IIRC had a note added in the 25th Ann. Edition to the effect that he still hadn't tried it yet.)

Know thy underlings

[Tr0mBoNe-]

In all groups, there are offical, and un-official designations. I, for example, am an Infastructure Software Developer. But, I am also the team's go-to guy. I have no long term projects, only short ones, so people bring me things to work on, on the side. There are the guru's who everyone goes to and the loners or the popular people. If the boss knows the groups working, they can interact more effectivly. Also, don't be afraid to let the programmers have a little extra room to develop and imagine. If you become a slave driver, your project will fall behind and mabey even fail.

If you want to be the best, think back to when you were in the team and what your first boss (or first good boss) were like... if they sucked, do the total opposite. If they did things well, and you remember having a good time, do what they did.

I will leave you with a quote from futurama. "If you've done your job right, it won't seem like you've done anything at all." - God

Remember how to manage people

[nytes]

Your chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Your two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Your *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the penguin.... Your *four*...no... *Amongst* your weapons.... Amongst your weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise....

Heh

[Safety Cap]

I am a Project Manager, having worked my way up from the trenches. I've been a PM for 6 years, developer for > 15.

My advice to you is to get the hell out now while you still can.

All joking aside, get yourself certified; that will give you a base of knowledge that will help you understand what you're doing.

The following a Must Reads:

• The Mythical Man-Month
• Code Complete
• Rapid Development

I personally don't jive with RD, but the book is an excellent source of knowledge and is applicable outside of RD. Also, get yourself educated in risk management and estimations (work breakdowns). I haven't seen any good books on either -- maybe I need to write one :)

Good luck.

Another thing

[Safety Cap]

You'll do yourself a favor if you network with other IT PMs.

Many people have been where you are now; tap their experience and avoid the pitfalls they got to live through.

You can find a bunch at the local PMI Chapter.

Know your people

[Reemi]

My personal tips, based on that projects are executed by people:

- Know the people you work with, understand the way they communicate progress/problems. Everyone is different

- Create an atmosphere where delays are acceptable, but only when pre-announced. This avoids surprices just before a deadline and allows you to take actions in time.

- When assigning a task, let the receiver make a time plan and commit to it. You'll find out they are in general too optimistic but highly motivated to make it because they made this promise towards you. Never push a deadline on them if you can avoid it.

- Don't ask for too many progress reports, talk with your people and ask once in a while a snapshot of the current task. Non-performers can be identified in an early stage this way.

All items I mentioned are human related. Why? Because my experience is that in most cases that is the only area where one can (is allowed to) make a difference.

Re:Know your people

[MrResistor]

I would add to this:

- Be an advocate for your team. Determine what they need and try to get it for them, and more importantly shield them from other managers.

IMO, this is the single distinguishing factor in the the good managers I've had. Even in a seriously messed up company, and good manager can make all the difference in employee morale, and happy employees are productive employees.

What's more, regular people (read: non-MBA types) tend to want to be loyal, but that has to go both ways. If your subordinates feel that you're on their side most of them will be willing to go to the ends of the earth for you.

I've had seemingly great jobs where it took effort to put in my minimum time just so I could get out of there, and I've had crappy jobs where I happily put in 60 or 70 hour weeks. The manager makes all the difference.

Re:Pot-Holes.

[museumpeace]

I wonder if commenter means "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell. You have asked for books yet other commenters have said, in effect, "look to your people, not books". Much wisdom in that advice but you did ask for books...keeping the balance between book-learned management and gut instincts of a good, naturally people-oriented, manager is just a gift.

Anyway, not that anybody would ever be dumb enough to entrust ME with project responsibility but the books I have read and thought useful are the above mentioned McConnell book [the authors favorite among his 4 or so titles] and another by him: The software project survival guide [ a book I keep at work so am only giving the title from memory]
If your leadership duties are more than supervisory, ie you are expected to make technical contributions, Malveau and Mowbray's Software Architect bootcamp" might be worth a peek too.

Determine your real role.

[Bishop]

I have seen the term "project manager" applied to a full spectrum of job duties. I think most people will agree that a project manager is responsible for insureing that a project is completed on time and on budget. (Although that should be the responsibility of everyone.) Beyond that one goal there may be many secondary duties. Part of the confussion may be that a project manager is also tasked with other duties such as designer, lead developer, or HR management. Responsibilities will also depend on the size of the project. So the first step should be to talk with management to determine your exact responsibilities, and to talk with other project managers within your organization. Once you have an understanding of you role then you can start looking at reading material.

There are some basic management skills you will want to work on. When leading technical people you need to convince them the project is good ("buy in"). Lots is written about this and most of it can be summed up with "Treat people with respect." You need to know how to critise properly by asking the right kinds of questions. In general don't ask questions that can be answered with a yes or no. It is harder then you think. Budgeting time is very important. Gant charts (ala MS project) are usefull.

Management speak

[cuteseal]

Well since you're moving up the food chain, I think it's appropriate that you learn to decipher the management speak, so to say... :D

Management Speak: You needed to be more proactive.
Translation: You should have protected me from myself.

Management Speak: I'd like your buy-in on this.
Translation: I want someone else to blame when this thing bombs.

Management Speak: We want you to be the executive champion of this project.
Translation: I want to be able to blame you for my mistakes.

Management Speak: We need to syndicate this decision.
Translation: We need to spread the blame if it backfires.

Management Speak: We have to put on our marketing hats.
Translation: We have to put ethics aside.

Management Speak: I see you involved your peers in developing your proposal.
Translation: One person couldn't possibly come up with something this stupid.

Management Speak: There are larger issues at stake.
Translation: I've made up my mind so don't bother me with the facts.

Management Speak: I'll never lie to you.
Translation: The truth will change frequently.

Management Speak: Our business is going through a paradigm shift.
Translation: We have no idea what we've been doing, but in the future we shall do something completely different.

Management Speak: Value-added.
Translation: Expensive.

Management Speak: Human Resources.
Translation: A bulk commodity, like lentils or cinder blocks.

Management Speak: The upcoming reductions will benefit the vast majority of employees.
Translation: The upcoming reductions will benefit me.

Traceability is the king of software development

[jkakar]

As a manager your duty is to ensure your developers don't do things that waste time or money. You need to do at least these things:

1. Figure out what the real requirements are. Don't simply believe that customer's (in house or not) know what they need. Don't treat customer's like idiots: they are the most valuable resource you have to ensure the software you deliver is actually useful.
2. Get the business folks to prioritize the requirements so that you can reduce scope effectively. You will have to reduce scope--better to be ready for it than to be surprised when the time comes.
3. Ensure that *everything* your developers do can be traced back to a requirement. If someone is doing something that can't be traced back to a requirement they are wasting time and introducing unnecessary complexity.
4. Never forget that your job is to bring value to the business. Don't rule out non-software options when you see them.

These ideas ultimately lead to or from, depending on how you look at it, to "build only what you need".

Run, don't walk and get the following

[jordandeamattson]

You really need to read the following books, as you move up the chain:

1. The Pragmatic Programmer
By Andrew Hunt and David Thomas

2. Pragmatic Version Control
By Andrew Hunt and David Thomas

3. Pragmatic Unit Testing
By Andrew Hunt and David Thomas

4. Pragmatic Project Automation
By Mike Clark

5. Code Complete, 2nd Edition
By Steve McConnell

6. Debugging The Development Process
By Steve Maguire

7. Joel on Software
By Joel Spolsky

8. Testing Computer Software
By Cem Kaner, Jack Falk, Hung Quoc Nguyen

9.Managing the Testing Process
By Rex Black

10. Lessons Learned in Software Testing
By Cem Kaner, James Bach, and Bret Pettichord

11. Peopleware: Product Projects and Teams
By Tom DeMarco & Timothy Lister

I also second, The Mythical Man Month by Brooks.

Some said that you can't learn anything from books. I just don't buy it. You can learn a lot from the mistakes and successes of others. Just like a great coach looks at films of other teams (learning from their mistakes and successes), you can do the same.

Take time to read books written by those who have been in the trenches and apply the lessons learned.

Yours,

Jordan

The Secret Consultant's Rules

[crmartin]

Not much of a secret since I talk about them regularly, but still, these are the secret rules of TQM, Six Sigma, and most other successful projects:

(1) know what you want
(2) know how to tell if you got it
(3) tell everyone (1) and (2)
(4) allow the front-line people the autonomy (and safety) they need to make changes, and
(5) reward them for achieving (1)

I've seen projects and programs and processes fail for missing any of these steps, but its pretty amazing how often people fail either (4) or (5).

A few pointers

[Jorkapp]

Here's a few good pointers to follow when managing subordinates:

• Don't over-supervise or they may either not like you or their work.
  
• Treat them fairly, equally, and with dignity and they will respect you. Playing favourites or doing your whole Drill-Sergeant routine won't help.
  
• State what is expected of them and be specific. Giving specific tasks ensures that what you want to be done gets done with a minimum of confusion.
  
• Allow social activity since they will not only want to share ideas about the project but relax as well.
  
• Recognize good performance. For example, if they're ahead of schedule then bring in coffee (or take them out, either way). You can recognize both individual and group performances, but be careful not to play favourites with the individual recognition.
  
• Explain changes. Simply telling them to change such and such just "because you said so" will serve no purpose but to have your subordinates get more cranky and disrespectful towards you. If you cannot think of an excuse for the change, then consult the group on what they would think about the change.

Don't forget, they look to YOU for leadership.

Remember Your Roots

[Flwyd]

You've been a developer, so remember what it's like. You'll be working with a lot of people who probably don't understand software development and software developers. You're the developer's advocate, so don't forget how to think like one.