97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Chapter 59. Building the Morale on Your Team

David Bock

A MAJOR ROLE FOR THE SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGER is to create a work environment that fosters the growth of team morale. Here are some tips to help you start that process:

• Give your team some control over the direction of the project. Do you talk with your team frequently? Do you regularly seek out its input? Can someone make a suggestion, or bring a complaint to you, and feel like you will actively work to effect a change because of it?

• Defend your team against "the bureaucracy." Every organization has its share of rules, and one of your jobs is to apply them in context. "In context" means that, when appropriate, you will defend your team.

  When a corporate memo comes out with rules banning cubicle decorations, will you argue with management so Bill can keep his Rubik's cube collection on display? Even if you lose, the team's morale will benefit.

• Look for ways to improve the work environment. I knew an engineer who worked in a cubicle next to a window. But, according to the company organizational chart, he didn't warrant a window office. Corporate solution? The cubicles were reconfigured so that the window in his workspace was blocked. Rather than argue with the "furniture police," a good manager would be the first person to start moving those cubicle walls to uncover that window.

• Make your team feel like a team. One team had a Player ...