Ask HN: Developers, what makes a great Technical Project Manager?

7 points·newtpm··3 comments

I'll be starting a new position as a TPM soon. What are some of the qualities of a great project manager, from a developer's perspective? I've heard varying accounts of a TPM's role, ranging from "totally useless" all the way to "I have tremendous respect for good PMs." I'd of course like to occupy the latter end of that spectrum.

Thanks!

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- Always keep your calm (as mathieubordere has already suggested).

- Don't micromanage, let the developers do their job.

- Organize retrospectives regularly, with the right environment for people to express their good and bad feelings, and find solutions. If you've never done it before, the first few might feel a bit forced, but with experience they become smooth and invaluable.

- Stand up for your people. When your developer makes a stupid mistake, instead of sending him/her to be grilled by the client, do it yourself. Every developer is a human being, and fuck ups can happen to anyone. You'll gain tremendous respect and strong following if you show your understanding in the toughest situations.

Good developers know how to do their job. You're there to assit them, guide them, and reduce their stress when the going gets rough.

Make the environment and project bullshit and stress free in all respects, implement tools and processes that makes the team be able to do their best work without focusing on doing tasks that add no value to the product being delivered.

- keeping calm in stressful situations

- +1 if the TPM actually has technical knowledge

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