Which is more important - a very interesting project or a very good team?

Question

I've been a lead developer of a very successful and promising project for several years now. The team I've been working with is just great. Now the top management wants to move the project to another department because that department has responsibility area they feel is closely related with the project. Most likely nothing will prevent them from doing so.

I have two options – either move with the project to another team which is not bad but I'm not sure is as great as my current one or release the project and switch to some other project with my current team. All other projects in the current team are not bad too but quite boring compared to the moving project.

I'm not very fond of releasing the project since I've spent a lot of time on it and not very fond of moving to another unknown team.

Which is more important – a great team or a very interesting project?

Answer 1

I don't think there is a right answer for your question. Without a good team you project won't go anywhere but on the same time if the project is boring all people involved in it will be bored.

But personally if I had to choose I think I would prefer a team of people I already know.

Answer 2

In my opinion, if you take work as a challenge then go for the new project with a new team. Learn and share things with them and be a part of the team.

Answer 3

Both are required.

In my experience a great team makes the project interesting. I would rather work with the best and the brightest than work on a kick ass project with morons.

This is also is an opportunity for you to learn something new.

Answer 4

A good Team helps you to manage every challenge! You can only benefit of a good teams. You can learn from your colleagues, teach your colleagues, learn to get your own point of view regarding code and design.

Answer 5

All I can say is that variety is the spice of life.

Do you really want to stick around with the same project for years and years?

Look at what you can do to expand your skill set. i.e. add another tool to your toolbox, I'm sure your boss would appreciate the effort, especially if what your adding is useful for the company.

I guess I'm trying to say that I wouldn't stay with the project for the long term.

Answer 6

Even most interesting project can be a nightmare with the idiotic team.
On the other hand, even most terrible project can be tuned up to a candy with a great guys.

Answer 7

I personally see all projects as good. It's all in our head. In my childhood I used to hate brushing my teeth, but then I developed a habit to getting to like what I have to do. Because, I can learn from everything.

If you're too concentrated on the goal, you're too constrained. Try to find a joy in what you're doing, learn from everything, make fun of the process, not of reaching the goal - when you reach it's so short, but the process is long. (Which is so much true when one's trying to date a girl - don't be too concentrated on your real goal, just make fun ;-).

So I'd prefer a good team. But you're not me, and many people aren't. I can successfully work on boring project and do boring job, because even there I always find opportunities to improve my skills. But as a team lead I found that it's hard to make people doing the same.

Answer 8

I once had to join a new team maintaining a clunky legacy 16-bit app and wasn't looking forward to it at all. But the team were really friendly and i ended up enjoying working with them so much.

Answer 9

It's relatively easy to make a project interesting but you can't really change the people you work with. Therefore, a good team is much more important than a good project.

Answer 10

From my personal experience - a very interesting project can actually turn a mediocre team into a very good one - if a team is presented with a project that they believe to be high-profile or a project that they are all somewhat interested in then they will strive to be better.

For example, let's say you have a mediocre team, who get their projects complete on time but sometimes not to the required standard. They're enough, but nothing excellent. When this team is given a project that they know is going to be used company-wide, country-wide or similar factors - one that they believe will make a difference or will really make a big impact on their business, then they will be driven to get it done as fast as possible, to the highest standard possible.

Of course - at the same time - if you have an already excellent team then it might not matter how interesting the project is - if they're that excellent then they'll still get it done.

A project must be challenging, interesting and gripping for it to be a success with any team.

However,

A team must be willing, innovative and focussed for it to be a success with any project.

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So - to answer your question - a balance of both is necessary to make it all work with as little issues as possible.

Answer 11

Speaking as someone who's rarely worked in a proper team environment but is currently working on some fascinating projects I can attest that I deeply miss the opportunity to interact with a proper team. I'd work on just about any old nonsense just to be able to bounce my ideas off of peers instead of having to sit on sites like this whenever I hit a brick wall.

Non-technical colleagues are all well and fine but they can't help glazing over whenever you discuss the nitty gritty of what you're trying to achieve.

People cannot be replaced by an interesting problem. Solo intellectual pursuits are of most use when you're alone.

I can't imagine anything worse than trying to work on a good problem in a room full of jackasses then you get nothing.

Answer 12

You're currently the lead developer on this project, but what are your ambitions for the future? Do you want to become a project manager or keep on developing?

If it is the project manager job you like, I would say to move with the project to the new team. Because you already know the project so well, you could be an excellent person to motivate the team and get them to grow from a 'not so bad' team in an excellent team.

If you're up for that challenge and succeed it will definitely gain you some kudos for any future management jobs.

But if you're more interested in development, stay with the current team. They are probably better at providing a challenging development environment for you, because they are on a similar skill level and could make you grow as a developer.

Answer 13

Part of any answer here is to consider what are the benefits to each option:

1. Different team, same project - This would likely make you the "go-to" guy initially as all your knowledge about the project becomes something for the new team to use. Being around different people can be a good thing as you may see new ways of doing things and new team dynamics that may prevent burnout. However, you may be too familiar with what's wrong with that codebase that may be a bit of a turn off. Do you want to stay with the stuff you've been using? Another factor here is what kind of dynamics would you be having to handle? Would you still be the lead or would someone else take that role and you'd change positions in a sense?

2. Same team, different project - Now, would the team still do as well on another project? That's not a simple question to answer as if the new project is quite different, the team may change quite a bit. Letting go of the project could be a very good thing as sometimes people can get rather possessive and protective of their code which can cause problems. Are you prepared for the team to possibly change with a new project? Would the new project be from scratch or would there be some inheritance happening with the new project? If the latter, I'd want to inspect its state in terms of goals, resources, timeframe and the like so that I'm not getting into a death march situation.

If I were on the same project for years with a great team, I think the new project would be better for me though I would recognize the possible shifts that it would bring. The new project may change the team in ways you don't see while the new team carries the risk of your project no longer be your project. I'd rather let go of the project than let go of the team, but that's my preference.

Answer 14

It seems that the real issue here is fear of the unknown: the new team might not be as good. You don't know that for sure. So hedge your bets: talk to your current manager, and say "I like this team but I feel very attached to the project; would there be room for me to come back?". Perhaps no, more likely yes.

From a corporate perspective, you'll bring a lot of value if you move to the new team: rather than blindly figuring things out as they go along, they'll have you for answers. Over the long term, this will only do good for your career.

At the same time, you can raise the level of the new team: "these are the processes we used, this is why, and unless you have a really good reason, we shouldn't change those processes."

And finally, perhaps the new team is pretty good as well?

Answer 15

It would depend where you are at this point in time. Are you jaded, saturated with monotony and could do witha fresh lease of life(read project) with new challenges? Or are you at a point where you are able to canvass for new bits of work into your old project and pump fresh energy into the exisitng team soo it doesnt really feel liek the same thing you've done all this long?

Do you have any information at all about this new piece of work which can help you make an informed decision? For instance if i knew that the team on the platter is not too bad and it could be great for me to learn workign with another set of people (of course there is a bit of risk involved) - then i'd go ahead and take the new work.

I think its very understandable to feel the way you do about something you've cultivated with a lot of time and effort. But sometimes its good to get out of the box every now and then. Unless you have a strong reason not to.