Management’s Most Fatal Flaw
They’re an easy target, that’s for sure, but what is their worst failing?
As a progressive software engineer working hard to “Get Stuff Done” in the Grand Game of software engineering one of the ongoing issues, and distractions to be really honest, you’re going to have to deal with are the layers upon layers of management that sit perched on your shoulders like an aged, lethargic, and somewhat obese albatross (often with chronic flatulence).
Contribution
One general perception of management is of them actually contributing to a project due to their inherent non-technical nature. They therefore spend much of their time setting milestones, defining goals, and creating elaborate Gantt charts (as they were taught via their many online courses) without a full appreciation of what’s actually happening, technically, on the project.
I wouldn’t ask a brain surgeon, for example, to define timelines for an appendectomy, nor would I pluck a random member of the civil service to timeline a bridge construction project, so why do we employ what is effectively an overpaid generalist administrator to plan and monitor highly detailed software projects? Your guess is as good as mine — we’ve touched on this before, and we will definitely do so again.
