Slashdot Mirror
In Defense of Project Management For Software Teams (techbeacon.com)
mikeatTB writes: Many Slashdotters weighed in on Steven A. Lowe's post, "Is Project Management Killing Good Products, Teams and Software?", where he slammed project management and called for product-centrism. Many commenters pushed back, but one PM, Yvette Schmitter, has fired back with a scathing response post, noting: "As a project manager, I'm saddened to see that project management and project managers are getting a bad rap from both ends of the spectrum. Business tends not to see the value in them, and developers tend to believe their own 'creativity' is being stymied by them. Let's set the record straight: Project management is a prized methodology for delivering on leadership's expectations.
"The success of the methodology depends on the quality of the specific project manager..." she continues. "If the project is being managed correctly by the project manager/scrum master, that euphoric state that developers want to get to can be achieved, along with the project objectives -- all within the prescribed budget and timeline. Denouncing an entire practice based on what appears to be a limited, misaligned application of the correct methodology does not make all of project management and all project managers bad."
How do Slashdot readers feel about project management for software teams?
"The success of the methodology depends on the quality of the specific project manager..." she continues. "If the project is being managed correctly by the project manager/scrum master, that euphoric state that developers want to get to can be achieved, along with the project objectives -- all within the prescribed budget and timeline. Denouncing an entire practice based on what appears to be a limited, misaligned application of the correct methodology does not make all of project management and all project managers bad."
How do Slashdot readers feel about project management for software teams?
What I find funny, as a developer, is the idea that "developers tend to believe their own 'creativity' is being stymied by [project managers]."
Every time you look at code and have a visceral NIH (Not Invented Here [Syndrome]) response, that is your own creativity crashing up against the author of the code's creativity.
When you see good clean code and don't have any NIH response, that implies that the author resisted the urge to be creative, or simply isn't a creative person.
Not every task actually benefits from creativity! Even if creativity is valuable to a programmer overall during the process, while actually writing the code perhaps it is harmful to the result! Most devs might never be happy with project management, including when it is working well and being effective.
Perhaps they'd do better to focus on claiming about any shouty bosses, instead of resisting project management?
Yvette Schmitter is fast becoming the woman that savvy females nationwide are turning to for business advice, lessons in leadership and the secrets of bringing balance to dating and relationships. Yvette has made it her passion and goal to redefine what it truly means to “BE YOUR OWN BOSS.” As a successful entrepreneur and former management consultant, she has made a name for herself at Deloitte as well as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. In the business world Yvette has focused her talents on the health care industry, specifically on the issues impacting minorities, especially women of color. Ms. Schmitter has adapted her acclaimed approach to the skills of management and leadership into a foolproof plan for all aspects of a person’s life. She is currently in the process of writing her first book detailing her journey and discovery in becoming a real life “BOSS LADY.”
The New Jersey Assembly recognized her commitment to public service and named her Outstanding Young Woman Leader. While working toward her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Tufts University, she was voted “Leader of the Future” by her senior classmates. In graduate school, the President of New York University awarded her the “President’s Award” in recognition of her continued commitment to public service at the university; during convocation, Dean Robert Berne bestowed upon her the “Dean’s Award” for outstanding leadership.
While working as a senior consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst and Young, Yvette partnered with MAC Cosmetics and a local beauty parlor, Chez George to create a very special event to empower local battered women. The event, “New Year, New Do and a New You”, allowed the women to receive new hair styles and professionally done makeovers conducted by the MAC Cosmetics make-up artists. This combination of outreach and inspiration is exactly the kind of forward giving momentum that Yvette has dedicated her life’s work to
She is also a writer and regular contributor and commentator to nationally acclaimed websites and television networks such as BETTER TV.
She lives in New York City with a very special boy named Chance.
There is no mention of project management anywhere on that website.
Another source dated February 2015 says she is "Network Services Program Manager Government Programs at Emblem Health", which laid off hundreds of IT workers when it outsourced to Cognizant in April 2016.
Project managers in most cases are just a layer between two sets of other managers. If you have a good manager, you donâ(TM)t need a project manager.
Project managers are there to make sure that interactions between different managers on multi-departmental projects happen smoothly, they should not manage or get involved with what exactly the IT department produces, just make sure that they develop a solution that fits the needs for the overarching system. Make sure that the cleaning manager talks to the datacenter manager etc. get metrics on every teamâ(TM)s status but when project managers get involved with individual team members they have failed.
The main problem with projects and project managers is that most of them are micro-managers, the project is too small in scope to be considered a proper project or there is a serious breakdown in managerial skills.
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
Best project manager I've ever worked with made everything go incredibly smoothly, even on tough projects with frustrating clients.
How? She asked us a simple question: What do you need to get this done?
We told her what we needed, she accommodated our requests with plenty of time to meet deadlines and milestones, and then she trusted us to get our shit done while she met with the client and other management for progress reports, etc.