Software Team Trouble Signs — 9 Signs That Your Software Team Is In Trouble

9 signs your software team is about to implode

If you are a CEO or business owner with a software team you’re going to want to do a quick health check on that team from time to time. These signs are red-flag indicators that your team may be failing (or failed). It is intended to provide you with a quick check on things along with some guidance on what to do.

Here are the top 9 signs that your Software Team is in trouble:

1. You Keep Waking Up Because of Your Software Team
2. Your Team Isn’t Listening To You
3. You Feel Out of Control
4. Your Team is Constantly Missing Deadlines
5. It Feels Like Things Are Falling Apart
6. It Feels As If You Have Been Taken Hostage
7. You Have to Fight For Everything
8. You Can’t Figure Out What You’re Spending Money On
9. It Used To Be Easy But Now Nothing Happens

And… a bonus sign:

9.5 You Know How To Code

As I build this series out you may be wondering how you can deal with one or more (or all) of these signs. They can be terrifying or confusing.

If you are seeing a few of these signs you’re going to want to start working on that team immediately.

So, what do you do? I suggest you dig in and see what you can figure out. You’re the leader of the business. If you’re not sure where to start, I suggest working on two main things:

1. Learning how to tell stories instead of “better requirements”.
2. Learning the value of saying, and hearing, “no”.

Both of those tactics will help out. If you want some in-depth information about how you can apply both of those approaches check out my free webinar that I put together. It’s got a deep discussion about both of these approaches.

There may be other dynamics at play when your team is waking you up at night — or that you have other signs that your team is in trouble. Keep an eye peeled here and I’ll see what I can give you to get things back on track.

The main reason I like these 2 tips is that years after I have moved on, my clients still use them. It has worked so many times that I give it away — and I get thanks all the time. Check it out.

NOTE: This post is the index of a series where I provide a list of signs that business owners and CEOs need to watch out for. Each post addresses a sign that may indicate your software team is in trouble. If your business depends on that software team, you know that’s bad. My goal here is to provide some strategies to help you out. I’ll be updating each page when I post so you may see some churn. cheers, Darrell

Originally published at Darrell O’Donnell, P.Eng..