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Looking to demotivate and confuse your software project team? Look no further. You may wonder, why such a provoking article? Simply put, understanding what not to do paves the way for improvement. Here are the top 20 ways to completely demotivate and confuse your team. Take it lightly and share your thoughts in the comments section!
#1 – Consistency? Throw it out the window
Being inconsistent throughout the project will surely infuriate and confuse your software project team. Imagine this - your team's deep in work, and you decide to change your instructions midway. Watch the shock ripple as their efforts crumble into obsolescence.
#2 – Keep details to yourself
Insist on providing only high-level specifications. Your team, unclear about what's expected, will spend time relentlessly asking for more details - a surefire recipe for disaster.
#3 – Drown your team in work
Overloading your team with massive amounts of work is as simple as it sounds. Set unrealistic deadlines, pressure your team to work faster, and watch team morale plummet and attrition soar.
#4 – Ignore team emails
Don’t reply to team emails. Ignore requests for instructions, updates, and critical clarifications. If you do reply, keep it vague, and answer with simple yes or no’s, offering no explanation.
#5 – Head home early
Seeing your team working late to meet deadlines? Perfect time to leave early.
#6 – Overpromise to clients
Say yes to all client demands, no matter how unreasonable, and then impose those demands on your team. When you fail to deliver, blame it on a simple misunderstanding.
#7 – Keep decision-making to yourself
Never involve your team in decision-making. Just make all the decisions yourself.
#8 – Soak up the glory
If your project is delivered on time and the client's happy, be sure to take all the credit. Forget to praise or thank your team for their efforts.
#9 – Missed a deadline? Blame the team
When deadlines aren’t met, put the blame on your team. Software isn't user-friendly? Find a scapegoat. Or several.
#10 – Turn up unprepared for meetings
Never prepare for team meetings. Arrive late, keep all communication verbal, and don’t send out meeting minutes detailing the next steps.
#11 – Skip the project schedule
Give oral instructions and change deadlines whimsically. Your team will detest you!
#12 – Neglect risk management
Recording, monitoring, and evaluating risks? Not for you! Just ignore them and wing it when a major problem arises.
#13 – Disregard lessons learned
Don’t bother with lessons learned meetings. Even if you have to conduct one, ignore it afterwards and don’t communicate the lessons learned from the project.
#14 – Evade responsibility
Avoid responsibility at all costs. Master the art of blaming someone else, or even better, the entire team.
#15 – Postpone purchasing critical hardware & software
Ignore your team's requests for essential products or environments. This will grind progress to a halt.
#16 – Forget documentation
Never document decisions, meetings, or deadlines. This ensures that everyone in the team has different perceptions, leading to confusion.
#17 – Ignore out-of-scope sections
When defining the product scope, neglect the out-of-scope sections. If the team asks for explanations, respond vaguely.
#18 – Be unclear with your project plan
Make your project plan as vague as possible. Even better, fill it with unrelated assumptions, constraints, and dependencies for extra confusion.
#19 – Blur role expectations
Give vague descriptions of team roles and responsibilities. Don’t define their tasks and obligations, leaving the team guessing.
#20 – Be emotionally unpredictable
Keep your team guessing about your mood from day to day. This will build distrust and lead to confusion and demotivation.
This article is your perfect guide on how not to manage a project. Want to be a successful project manager? Just do the opposite of everything written here!