Project Mood Management

by Jim Highsmith

No, you didn't read the title wrong, it does say "mood" management. Last year I was working with a project team that was under enormous stress -- tight delivery deadlines, constantly changing requirements, and intense pressure from the revenue implications of the project's success. The team leads, and many staff members, thought the ambiguity and change within the project should somehow be mitigated, that the environment should be less chaotic, less stressful, and more stable. I pointed out that this kind of project was always borderline chaotic, and furthermore attempting to stabilize it, while it might make everyone feel better, was unlikely to lead to successful completion. However, one suggestion that I did make, which ultimately helped the situation, was to point out to these team leads how they were making the situation worse by reflecting, rather than absorbing, the team's frustration.