Six Archetypes of Bad Project Managers

Projects fail for many reasons. During my consulting career, I've encountered six types of project managers who approach things incorrectly.

The Yes-Man

Certain PMs fear conflict and agree to every demand that internal clients or senior management make. These PMs might have a sales background. As a result, they are used to saying yes.

Now, these PMs typically mean well and certainly do not intentionally try to sabotage projects. Often, yes-men simply want their clients to be satisfied and provide future references. But by failing to confront those with wildly different expectations, these folks implicitly make promises and commitments that endanger entire projects.

The Micromanager

Much like yes-men, micromanagers often mean well and merely want to understand each step in a process or the nature of a complex issue. However, on a project, the PM is not supposed to be the product, application, or technical expert. During crunch time, consultants typically cannot explain each facet of a complex issue to anyone, much less a newbie, regardless of the latter's benevolent intentions.

Micromanagers need to let experienced consultants do their jobs.

Micromanagers need to let experienced consultants do their jobs. Depending on the timing, a PM might have to live with a high-level explanation of an issue. Should the micromanager need more detail, she should bring consultants to steering committee meetings or have them write status reports providing more specifics.