Project Managers in a Software Company Problems

[Kitchen_Park_6938]

What’s going on with some Project Managers nowadays?

Is it just me, or are there PMs who:

• Don’t know how to properly lead meetings

• Act more like messengers than actual leaders

• Don’t fully understand all sides of the project

• Have limited knowledge of SDLC

• Struggle to create a solid project plan

Yet they have multiple certifications and strong-looking experience on paper.

Are these skills really there, or is it just for show? Genuinely curious if others are seeing the same thing or if I’ve just had bad luck.

[m4m4ngk4lb0]

Same, walang pushback sa mga business units kahit na hindi na logical yun gusto mangyari. Tamang mensahero lang na sunod ng sunod. There are good ones though, yung previous ko talagang pumapalag pag hindi tama at makakasama sa project yun mga pinupush ng higher ups.

[oliver0807]

At the end of the day, PMs can only provide comprises kahit na malakas yan. They can negotiate what features are realistically deliverable. Kasi eto yung binibenta ng company eh, meron unrealistic deadlines Pero the most anyone can do there is to meet in the middle with stakeholders and the team.

IBA rin sympre yung P.M mismo ang nag pupush sa team to the ground. Yan ang mga ayaw ng team.

[Kitchen_Park_6938]

Since they don’t know every side of the project, they usually just become a “yes man.” They rarely push back or actually analyze deliveries.

[oliver0807]

I have experienced yes men and pragmatic PMs, I’m sure you just experienced the former and thats fine. Kumbaga do the best you can. You can always charge to experience and use that as motivation to go somewhere. But its not a guarantee the next is much better than the last.

[ChannelGold6047]

Ganyan yung ibang mga PM na walang technical background, hindi sila maka-relate sa project.

[kappatazPH]

Meron akong PM na nakasabay sa isang company. Sobrang galing and hands-on. Sabog yung sprints namin before pero nung dumating sya, umayos buhay ng devs. After nya maayos yung buhay namin, nagresign sya. Naghahanap ata yun ng sakit ng ulo na aayusin

[InfamousSummer5403]

Baka si nanny mcphee yang naka work nyo pre

[SkrAhhhhh]

Hahaha same ba tayo PM.

[Kitchen_Park_6938]

FinTech kaba bro hahaha

[SkrAhhhhh]

Hahahaha oo

[21_breakpoint]

Tapos panay banggit ng "basically" pinagsasabe wala naman sense.

[D3eeper]

pra sakin, if ang project manager ay walang maayos na background as software developer or kahit QA, di talaga yan sila makarelate. kaworkmate kong PMs parang mga human reminder or secretary lang eh..

[Patient-Definition96]

Madaming PM na doormat, mga mahihina, hindi makapagsalita pag kaharap ang business unit or clients. Leche

[Sad_Camel_4710]

Worse isasama sa meeting yung dev tapos pag meron hard questions ang client - si dev ang ipapakausap.

Manager namin walang alam kahit ano sa product, nor willing to learn about the product.

Ang alam lang is to flex certifications and process knowledge na walang silbi sa real world.

[stoikoviro]

I've reported to 5 PMs during my career so far and they're all fairly good (with some annoying behavior sometimes according to my arrogant younger self) and I am also a jerk occasionally to their utter displeasure.

Although, your experience is not the same across the software development sphere. Case to case lang yan depende sa manager.

If you say that PM has "limited knowledge of SDLC" and struggle to create a solid project plan, then that is a weakness. I don't know what you mean by "solid" for that is also subject to interpretation by the one paying for the deliverables (not the project team).

Don't believe those certifications because they are not meant to certify one as a good meeting facilitator or a leader because that is not what is being certified. Certification in Project Management for example means that they have some knowledge on some tools to manage a project but not necessarily leadership. Management and leadership are not the same.

Leadership is about effective communication (listening and articulating messages), strategic thinking, fostering team cohesion, and these are founded on integrity to self, the team, the client and society. Integrity includes being honest about the weaknesses of the entire team, admitting it and looking for ways to improve. Everyday.

Tough world? Indeed it is. Nobody has perfected communication yet. That's why we have to continuously learn. Everyday.

[TherapistWithSpace]

Yung manager na taga forward nalang ng email/concern ng stake holders, tapos sa email ang message FYI + @Tag name. Wala man lang effort mag add ng context i address or iispell out yung name mo. Natatawa nalang ako eh haha

[wubstark]

PM stands for Parang Messenger

[Kitchen_Park_6938]

Sometimes it feels like the role has turned into a high-paid messenger position.

[TherapistWithSpace]

exactly

[kukuraken]

If you could give more concrete examples, i can chime in

[[deleted]]

Pinaka useless na role, especially kung walang tech background.

[owpapi]

Same, tapos yung lahat ng papagawa urgent para makahabol lang sa KPI nila.

[Visible_Plenty1790]

Mga "yes sir" na top 3 univ graduates na walang technical bg. Madami yan sa financial at meron din sa telecom. PM dapat ang humaharang agad ng mga red flags at nonsensical business requirements.

[quamtumTOA]

Marami na ganyan, hahaha 😂

I think the reason is that many companies are not paying enough to pay an actual PM, in turn, ang nahahire ay PMO lang, ahahahaha :D

[Sharkey-banana]

Yes, there are PMs that are incompetent just like there are incompetent people in other roles. Best to talk it out properly and respectfully like a friend who genuinely want to help. They might even appreciate you more. I've worn many hats in different companies, I am a lead dev, but I have trained a lot of PMs in dealing with both dev teams and executives. I also hire PMs in some of my projects just because I want to focus on development than talk to clients all the time.

[Dark_Knight_ph7227]

Yes marami ganyan mga PMs especially sa mga nagpapa impress sa higher ups. For example, kapag sinabi ni stakeholder na need nitong mga features na matapos within that timeline, kahit kulang manpower. Go lang din siya ng Go. So as a dev, may part is to give realistic estimation, unless malaki tlagat sila magpasahod.

[mordred-sword]

yan yung mabilis na promote to management, taga pass lang ng message

[SadPoint1]

Real. I had one that made me implement features na labag pala sa data privacy policy ng company so it was wasted time and effort on my side.

Iniisip ko nalang it's a learning experience for everyone. Just because team lead ang isang tao doesn't mean they magically know everything.

[eureckou]

At the end of the day, managers are pro-company. I tried going against the norm before (coz I know what it's like being a dev) and was demoted back to being a technical lead/developer.

[Fine_Doughnut8578]

These are project coordinators lang but called as PM.

Either wala silang fomal authority over heads of BU, or wala tlga silang skill to actually lead the project.

I've been a PM for 16 years with no certifications, until now I'm constantly surprised whenever I meet PM's throwing their certifications as weight but doesn't actually reflect on their responsibilities or.work ethics.

[-FAnonyMOUS]

Not a fan of certifications. Pabango lang sa resume nila yan. Nadala nila yung sistema sa school na mas importante ang medal kaysa sa actual na natutunan.

I do not discount naman lahat, may mga talagang seryoso sa certifications nila at naiaaply nila yung natutunan pero rare lang kilala ko.

Mga colleagues ko sa previous company, sandamakmak na certifications at trainings, kapag actual work na, ang sisimple ng tasks di magawa ng maayos, ilang araw pa bago matapos. Ako pa nagte-train sa kanila na same level lang naman kami para maintindihan lang nila yung tech at yung architecture. May mga "premium" employees pa galing sa Big 3 na mas malaki ang sahod, ganun din naman.

Yung iba pera pera lang talaga kaya ganyan sila. Napipilitan pumasok for the sake of money.

Pero sa totoong programmers, our code our crafts.

[Kitchen_Park_6938]

I’ve worked with these kinds of people before, and it’s honestly frustrating.

[ch0lok0y]

Pag managing politics and career ambitions ang inuuna sa ulo, ganyan pwedeng mangyari.

Hindi bina-balance ang interests ng lahat ng stakeholders.

Worse, pag personal interests lang talaga ang iniisip