This paper is a narration of a practical experience in what has been said and written about how not to manage a project. The author’s experience is a classic example of what happens in many software development organizations. In many companies, especially small software development companies, development practices are ad hoc at best. It is usually the heroic capabilities of one or a few individuals that get the company’s products out the door.

One subtle issue that the paper highlights is the problem that can arise when a highly proficient and effective technical person is promoted to become a project manager, without proper training as a manager. Often, being an effective software engineer does not automatically translate into good project management skills; many companies continue to make that mistake. The author’s account of how his project manager dominated everything about the project, without regard for other team members’ views, is a good illustration of this problem. It demonstrates how some stubborn information technology (IT) professionals often confuse mediocrity with software development expertise. Unfortunately, it is often the customer, as in this case, who suffers, by paying too much for the products, by not getting what they want, and, when they do, by getting it too late. Another subtle issue that the paper brings out is that software sub-contract management is not for everybody, especially in the case of a company with no software development process.

The author’s discussion of his lessons learned in that small company, in terms of the five most important attributes for successful project management (effective communication, good understanding of project scope and size, use of known and tested contractors, having a well trained and educated project team, and flexibility of project management processes), is an excellent way of presenting how not to run a software development project. While those attributes are not new ideas, the author’s account simply demonstrates that when these common tenets of software project management are violated, the project outcome is almost predictable: failure.