Getting Results from Software Development Teams

Chapter 9. Improving Team Performance

It’s not about the money, Charlie. I could have been somebody, I could have had a shot at the title...

—Marlon Brando, in On the Waterfront

One of the most important skills a software project manager needs to develop to be successful is the ability to motivate a team. While some management experts see motivation as a leadership responsibility, I see it as being the responsibility of the software project manager as well, because so many software project managers unwittingly take actions that significantly de-motivate one or more team members. But this kind of de-motivating behavior is not reserved for software project managers alone. Companies themselves can engage in it with the best of intentions. Some firms ...