Ever Thought Why They Hate You? (Part 1)

WW096

Do you love project managers or hate them? Whichever side it is, if you are in a project you have to work with a project manager. To see the reasons behind this hatred, I gathered few thoughts from developers who hate project managers. This list only applies to the project managers who’ve being hated and not for each and every one of them.

So, Why Developers Hate Project Managers?

Because they suck in estimations!
Project managers don’t consult or rather don’t trust to consult the team when estimating and planning projects and changes. Instead, they consult tech leads, previous estimations, and sometimes they estimate by themselves. Without considering the capacity or the skill levels, project managers form unrealistic plans that pressurize teams towards idealistic plans.

Because they think projects and project management is all about process and tools!
Project managers assume the process and tools is their silver bullet and stubborn enough to refuse tailoring for different projects, teams, and scenarios. It leads to an unmotivated, conflicted team that struggles to work with a process or a tool which doesn’t serve their needs.

Because they think they own the project and the team too!
Many project managers don’t think themselves as part of the team, prefer to communicate via formal channels, and refuse to blend with the team or to have a friendly relationship with teammates. Many teams spend long working hours, late nights, and weekends alone. Being there for the team, supporting morally during those tough times to get the tasks done is not on PMs’ to-do list.

Because they take the credit and pass the blame to the team!
No matter what the team has gone through to deliver the promised features, they won’t get any credits for their valued contributions. But when it comes to mistakes, the blame goes to the team or to individuals. Sometimes customers don’t know the team members who put their 200% to the project but certainly, the names would popup if anyone made a mistake.

Because they are not technically savvy and don’t contribute to solve the problems!
Developers are typically not comfortable sharing technical matters with project managers who lack programming experience for obvious reasons. In such cases, instead of helping the team, project managers squeeze the team to find a faster solution. Most people make mistakes when they are in a stress situation.

Because they lack basic skills needed for project management!
Typically, project managers say “yes” to all customer requests without negotiating. When it comes to risk analysis, they don’t consider much about developers’ guts on project risks. Project management is not just about pleasing the customer and delivering the project. There are more to it, such as leading the team, communicating with stakeholders, making realistic plans, negotiating, handling critical situations, analyzing risks, and solving problems are part of it. However, some project managers lack at least few of these basic skills.