Rob Kennedy's Blog

1. Confusing estimates with targets
   Targets are what everyone dreams of hitting. Estimates are grounded in wide-awake analysis. Which should you base your commitments on?
2. Overly optimistic schedules
   Time flies, especially when you don't schedule enough of it. Better to take the time to do it right than to find the time to do it over.
3. Unrealistic expectations
   It's natural for customers to have high hopes. Help them be realistic at the outset to prevent disappointment, dissention and Doh!
4. Wishful thinking
   Hope is not a strategy. Remove head from clouds and make your own luck with down-to-earth planning and execution.
5. Short-changed Quality Assurance
   Quality has the last word. Don't let schedule pressures result in cut corners, perfunctory testing, skipped reviews and buggy releases.
6. Excessive multi-tasking
   Switching from project to project can blow a developer's flow. Maximize productivity and quality by letting them focus, focus, focus.
7. Feature creep
   Every new requirement takes time and effort. Don't let add-ons slip into the project without adjusting schedules and targets.
8. Noisy, crowded offices
   Developers are most productive in quiet, private workspaces. Help them stay in the zone by minimizing distractions, interruptions and multi-tasking.
9. Abandonment of planning under pressure
   Schedule squeezes often result in plans being scuttled instead of revised, casting the project into the valley of Code-and-Fix.
10. Insufficient risk management
    Every project has the potential to produce its own, unique, colossal mistake. Avoid notoriety by exercising risk management early and often.

Note: These are from Construx. Definitely look them up if you're looking to better your project/development management skills.

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