Most of us in IT management are techies at heart. That means we're not so good when it comes to touchy-feely stuff like dealing with people. After all, it might even involve talking about touchy-feely stuff. Better people should behave like well-written subroutines: put in the right parameters; out come the desired results. And since your people are also techies, they'd probably like you to behave like a nice MTS- or CICS-based package.

No wonder so many people in the industry are dissatisfied, on both sides of the managerial line. We think they're Dilbert; they think we're his pointy-haired managers. And don't think the solution's going to come from the so-called people professionals. Human Resources folk and pure MBA types aren't much better off. They're used to dealing with less delicate kinds of people (or, more accurately, people who can't afford to be as high-strung as programmers). In manufacturing or retailing, most "resources" are fully interchangeable: one day cashier, next day shelf-stocker. But treating development staff like that almost guarantees unhappiness.

So let's see if we can debug our staffers.

As an employer, you should do your best to ensure your team's happiness. But as an employee yourself, you have a duty to your boss and company to ensure staffer productivity. Software staff are, as we know, expensive creatures to maintain, so you must maximize productivity.

Keep Them Learning What's training? Education? A chance to get out the office? Meeting others and discussing areas of mutual interest? All of the above? There are plenty of different forms of classroom-based training to be had. . . Read on...

It starts with a good job description, which leads to good hiring. The description goes on to become a job plan, outlining the traits you're looking for in the new hire, along with the kind of performance you expect.

Use such a plan to guide new employees in the roles they've taken on, and to make sure their work lives up to your expectations. If your new car delivers 12mpg when the spec shows 25mpg, you take it back to the dealer for tuning. Armed with a clear, detailed job description, you can do likewise with people (only you won't get the work done under warranty).

Match Task to Talent
Subpar performance often stems simply from giving someone the wrong kind of work. Some people turn out to be brilliant testers, detail workers, planners, writers or even managers. But chances are they weren't doing that particular job when you realized where their talents lay.

So make sure all your oval pegs are in oval holes. Easy to say, but how can you tell? You have to guard against getting your back up as a manager and insisting that people do what you've told them to do-despite the fact that they're having trouble because you gave them the wrong task in the first place. Then there's your corporate culture. Some companies take the extreme approach of leaving people to volunteer for particular project roles. This can only happen in the most liberal of environments; those working in more conservative corporations must make do with negotiated assignments. I've found that when one project has closed and another's just starting, though, I've been able to allocate people to roles better matched to their skillsets.

Beware, however, of people whose reach exceeds their grasp. By all means give them the chance to prove they can do something. Just don't let them paint themselves (along with you and your team) into a corner. If you can provide a supportive environment for trying out a new skill, that's great. But make sure you haven't set someone up to fail. Such a failure could dash their hopes and make them bad at even what they're good at doing.

Ten Ways to Kill Morale and Productivity Many corporations have taken the art of bad work places to giddy heights. Learn from the best at being worst. Welcome to the workhouse. Read on...

Make Reviews Reality Checks—Nicely
One of my friends, a project manager, emerged smiling from his performance review. He said it was a good one because he'd actually been given some areas for improvement, and not just heaps of praise. That might sound odd, but I've found that people most appreciate a performance review when both sides have a chance to assess how things are going. Unfortunately, all too often both parties wind up carrying out detailed examinations of their feet, accompanied by nervous mumbling.

Most people need something to strive for, and the performance review provides an ideal occasion for setting targets and discovering (and encouraging) aspirations. A performance review should be a positive event, and at the risk of sounding too Californian, I believe it's also an occasion for sharing feelings about current assignments, future direction, and skills development.

I include seven sections in my job reviews (see "A Template for Better Performance Reviews"). There's nothing original in this list, but I've found it works and it covers the key bases. If your company has an HR department, no doubt you'll get an official template for this document. If so, be prepared to finesse the form's limitations if it doesn't cover everything you need.

A personal development plan should emerge from the review. This may well include an assessment of training needs. The word "training" tends to conjure an image of a classroom with a bunch of people banging away at keyboards while someone in a white shirt lectures them on the intricacies of some new technology. Education can take many forms, though.

Of course such an exchange doesn't have to wait for a twice-yearly meeting: it can and should happen whenever it's appropriate. This is where the frequently mocked open-door policy comes from. A genuinely open door (especially if it can be closed to keep confidences confidential) can help you find out how your project is really running.

If They Say 'Bye, Ask Why
Eventually it's going to happen. One of your valued team members will want to leave (sorry, it's never the one you wish would quit). Unfortunately there's a good chance you'll miss the opportunity buried in the disaster. I discovered this the first time I quit a job, because the person who recruited me had sent me the pertinent pages from Andy Grove's High Output Management. These described what a manager should do when an employee hands in their notice. And it's so simple: stop whatever you're doing and listen.

Of course, sometimes a resignation stems from personal circumstances that don't involve you or your company. But in my experience most resignations are a cry for attention (or help). And when this is the case, you need to give the employee some of both. The person is most likely unhappy or doesn't feel valued. (I'll skip extreme problems like abuse or harassment, where you must seek professional advice as soon as possible.) You should have already had an inkling that all was not well through using that old favorite, management by walking about. It really works.

But now this person is in your office, saying, "I'm going." As your mind races around your options, don't start with money. In my experience, it's rarely why people resign, even if the other job pays more. So cancel whatever overhead activity you were supposed to be doing and find out why they want to leave. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to find out-just ask, then listen very carefully to the reply. Don't ignore the nonverbal cues either. All by itself, this kind of listening is likely to soften their resolve.

Of course you may not be able to keep someone. Wish them well, and don't burn your bridges. Sometime in the future they might be hiring you. Or have the ear of the one you need the nod from.

A Template for Better Performance Reviews Read table...

Quit the Wet Blanket Committee
It takes a special skill, but some managers can demoralize even the most committed staff. Negate or steal credit for every accomplishment, squash every sign of initiative, prevent any air of joy or celebration. Throw in a heavy dose of politics and irrational abuse, make it impossible to concentrate, schedule regular status meetings, and you have the typical work place. Productivity isn't an issue: power and position are.

It need not be like that. People should look forward to showing up each day. Really. Money can't be the only reward people expect from their job. And even if you can't or don't want to kindle enthusiasm, you can still help to make life worth living for your troops.

Start by making sure the workplace is agreeable and free from distractions. This is the essence of Peopleware, as defined by DeMarco and Lister in this brilliant book (Dorset House). Peopleware shows how instead you can build an environment where thought workers can actually think. When we're doing something that requires deep concentration we enter a mental state called "flow." Flow is when you do your best thinking: time flies, your coffee goes cold, and you come round with a start to discover your leg has gone to sleep.

It takes over ten minutes to enter flow after any interruption. In most open-plan offices, no one can work at maximum efficiency. The most ambitious (or driven) come in early in the morning or stay late. The rest just do the best they can with the crummy hand you or your company have dealt them.