When working for another problem project, the project manager was "moved" off the project. The replacement manager did not last long either. He was promoted away from our project. During the couple months when this 2nd project manager was in charge, the company hired Keith Littleton to assist. Keith jumped around getting a number of titles. One thing that stuck out in my mind was Keith's first day. He stood up in a meeting of the entire project and asked where the documentation was. This struck me (and a lot of other people) as odd.
Keith had a lot of catch phrases he would utter. But I do not think they meant anything tangible. After a while Keith ended up in control of the whole project. He hired a bunch of his buddies to staff the project. Some of these buddies were OK, others were lackeys. I will give Keith this. He worked a lot of hours on the job. But his management skills could be summed up as incompetent. He seemed to let the customer dictate how the project would be managed. All kinds of craziness ensued.
On paper, you would think Keith was a genius. He had a lot of credentials. You know, things like degrees and certifications. But none of these appeared to help with his management skill set. Eventually Keith was also "promoted" away from the project. Last I heard he staffed up a small team that had nothing to do with software development. The company, I believe, is benefiting from this arrangement.
