It turned out that my manager (and up) had very little insight into software concepts and software development process.
They seemed happy to see all the architecture and design details we shared with them. But their trust and confidence didn't come from actual comprehension of these. Minute anything went off track a bit, they would start to question everything. They would want to change tracks and change people. Needless to say this was VERY disruptive and wasted a lot of time and energy over and over again.
What are some of your war stories? How do you handle this?
