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I am perplexed and amused by stories of managers who say they don't want to
"manage" projects, preferring instead to let the entreprenuerial, team culture
see them through. I wonder: what do we need them for if they're not going to
manage?
In all seriousness, it seems that in the modern small, "flat" company
management is sometimes equated directly with bureaucracy and avoided. But
planning, management, and leadership is still a requirement to complete a
project. I have seen projects (not just documentation projects but development
projects) planned out, and I have seen them not planned out, and believe me,
planning is better every time. The worst messes are invariably rooted in the
mistaken belief that there isn't time to plan. Likewise, a badly managed
project is in trouble, particularly when there's no one to move it forward when
issues grip the team. (I'm sure we could all provide juicy anecdotes...)
