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I found this question, and my first reflex was to add the following comment:

Hello Marcin, and welcome to StackExchange PM! This discussion would definitely be interesting to have. However, StackExchange websites are focused on questions and answers. That is, we need precise, practical questions that can have one definite answer: this is not a forum. Please have a look at our FAQ to get some more details about what is a good question, and what would better be discussed on some forum. You could then perhaps reformulate your question to be more specific, so that we can find a good answer to it :)

…which I instantly withdrew, as I am not totally sure about whether the community considers it as a list- or discussion-style topic, or if it is fine.

My main problem with it is that there is absolutely no way to answer it globally: depending on the project type, team type, team size etc, the answers will change completely. To me, that is too broad.

However, it could be that, by combining answers, we reach a final classification of values per project… Seems quite unlikely to me, but it could also become a flagship question.

So: should we close this question or upvote it?

For reference, the original question:

I am wondering what you value the most in members of your teams? What are the most desired traits?

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I went ahead and closed this as not constructive. The op is essentially asking for each and every person to give him a list of things PM's value most, which is going to differ widely from person to person and industry to industry.

Unfortunately, such a question is likely to add more confusion for a new PM stumbling upon this question than it would be helpful.

However, I think the question could be edited by the op. I'm almost certain there is a reason he's asking this and that at the heart of this question is a real problem he's facing that our community would be more than equipped to help him solve.

Feel free to jump in with any comments to help get the editing ball rolling.

UPDATE Sep 30, 2012: I just made an edit to the post to add some paragraphs and fix some grammar. I'm still not 100% sure I understand what is being asked, but I invite others to review the post as well, since having cleaned it up a bit it might be clearer to others.**

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    +1 on trying to get to the heart of why it is being asked.
    – Mark Phillips Mod
    Commented Sep 11, 2012 at 15:38
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I am in favor of closing this as too broad, while being nice to the new poster by inviting him to rephrase his question

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    +1, I think that's a good approach.
    – Mark Phillips Mod
    Commented Sep 11, 2012 at 15:37
  • Agreed. Constructive criticism is always the way to go.
    – JohnJ
    Commented Sep 14, 2012 at 17:05
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The situation looks as follow: On some interview it (software engineering) has been told me that the team is to big for him (12 members) and the current PM wants to split it into two teams. They hire developers and depending on how good they are (not in theory but in the real project, in this specific project) the PM will decide how could help him managing the team. Of course I can ask this question direct to the PM but I am wondering why you guys can tell me. I am not concerned about any project/company-politics-rpg but professional (soft/hard) skills.

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    Hi Marcin! Thanks, I think we are getting towards a narrowed down question that could get a proper answer :) However, have a look around: this is the meta site, that is the one where we discuss about the main site. Hence, these details should rather be added by an edit to your previous question. Here, we were only discussing whether the question was too broad or not, and agreed it was. Sorry if that sounds complicated, I'm sure you'll find your way around! :) And don't forget to read the FAQ if you haven't yet!
    – MattiSG
    Commented Sep 12, 2012 at 6:51
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    Hi Marcin, thanks for visiting [meta]! :) Main problem with your question is it's not clear. Closing it just gives you time to edit it and fix it by adding more details. Cleaning it up, making it very clear what your problem is. You can even take several days to think about framing the problem if you'd like, as the question isn't going anywhere. Once fixed and ready for answers, we can reopen. Hope this helps! :) NOTE: I see you did edit and improve a LOT! I'll remove the downvote and look at it later when I'm free; otherwise, the community can edit more and vote to reopen. :)
    – jmort253 Mod
    Commented Sep 12, 2012 at 15:05
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Here's what I placed in the question's comment, but will copy them here for greater visibility

I don't think this question should have been downvoted because Marcin (like me) is new and downvoting really doesn't promote education, but causes a new user to get turned off by the site. And let's face it, a lesser audience is not something we want for a site that's still in beta. FYI, I'm going by the downvoting suggestions here: stackoverflow.com/privileges/vote-down

To add to my previous comment, rather than downvoting, providing constructive criticism (such as jmort253's comment) should be the proper way to handle questions such as these.

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    I'm personally of the mindset that poorly written questions need a downvote, new user or not, but the downvote should be accompanied by the friendliest, most constructive and helpful comment you can muster. It shows that we're welcoming and supportive, yet we also value the quality that makes these sites great. People need to understand from day 1 that contributing does take some effort, but we're willing to help guide that person and take him/her under our wing. Also, you can emphasize that downvotes can be removed after an edit, if someone appears visibly upset.
    – jmort253 Mod
    Commented Sep 15, 2012 at 8:48
  • Until a few months ago, I didn't downvote or close questions by new users, and it left us with a sizable number of low quality posts by hit and run users who never came back, even with no downvotes. Also, not sure if you're aware, but I was the downvoter on that post. After Marcin's edit, I removed it. For context on question voting, you may find this blog post useful. I encourage you to post a meta question if you'd like to discuss further. Thank you for helping make this site great! :)
    – jmort253 Mod
    Commented Sep 15, 2012 at 8:52
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    I understand the will to not turn off new users, but it has to be understood that {up/down}voting has nothing to do with users personalities. It is only about the content itself. That's how I feel, but it seems that's also how the system is supposed to work: upvoted questions make it to the front page, or even to the Twitter feed. Users with top reputation are never advertised publicly, you have to go specifically to the rankings. Hence, I do believe it is important to vote no matter users' experience, otherwise we let (nice) emotions game the system, at all users' loss (more noise).
    – MattiSG
    Commented Sep 15, 2012 at 17:13
  • Great points @MattiSG, upvoting and downvoting is how the system determines how the community interprets the content. The votes are for the system, and comments are for constructively communicating with the people. :) Also, for more reading, see Is Quality Important in a Beta Site?
    – jmort253 Mod
    Commented Sep 15, 2012 at 17:27
  • Okay, thanks for your thoughts. I'll go with what @MattiSG has to say and vote based on content.
    – JohnJ
    Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 16:03

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