Ask Slashdot: How To Gently Keep Management From Wrecking a Project? 276
New submitter miserly_content writes "I work in a large, hierarchical technology company. I have been developing technical specs for a new strategic and challenging software project, and the project is slowly gathering steam and support. This is already a career building success for me, and everyone acknowledges my technical capabilities. But the program manager is an MBA-type, and wants to bring in new multiple team leaders and consultants. This is not really a surprise, but I feel we are sliding towards a too-many-chiefs-too-few-indians scenario, especially at this early stage. How can I pitch upper management about this issue, without appearing selfish or disruptive? What positive approach can I try with the PM, with whom I have a good working relationship?"
Re:solve your problem small (Score:5, Informative)
You're in a difficult situation. I tell you how we dealt with this scenario successfully in my organization. We had a project manager who I originally wanted to be closely involved in the production process only to realize he intended to take over the management of our entire program. Well, that wasn't going to happen because we owned the development part of the project and had no use for him.
We stopped CC'ing him on all emails regarding the development project. Every time he had his name added to the CC list we removed it.
He went to his bosses boss (my boss through a different chain of command) to complain. He looked petty. I explained to my boss that his role was to assist with projects once they were in the production phase. With this particular project we were working on development which was outside his purview of expertise - which he readily admitted because he was not an engineer. Including the PM in the process would just increase paperwork and increase costs with no value add. My boss agreed.
He quit about two weeks later. Actually, he didn't even give notice. One day he just stopped showing up for work. Went to work for a competitor which is now bankrupt.
Perhaps there's a strategy hidden in this story depending on your situation: pigeon hole him into a very confined domain where he can actually be helpful to the project. If his career aspirations and ego outweigh his ability he will leave soon.
Re:solve your problem small (Score:3, Informative)
What's the PM's motivation? Is he/she bringing in the extra layers to protect themselves?
I think you can get a good idea of the PM's concern by just reading the post above:
career building success for me, and everyone acknowledges my technical capabilities.
After you get by the dripping narcissism, you can easily see the "I'm outta here the minute this gets built" syndrome, and the sneaking suspicion that the PM is getting sold a bill of goods by a fast talking baffle gab artist, a Sheldon Leonard wanna-be working on a project he created, has brow-beat others into accepting, but which now is starting to cost real money. It would seem he is apparently deathly afraid of peer review, and is more in fear of losing the spotlight.