We have an exceptionally talented lead software architect who is a great cultural fit, gets his job, and wants his job, but he completely lacks the Capacity to manage his team through our new project management platform, leading to missed deadlines and poor visibility. Is this a training issue or a Right Seat issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic Capacity issue that starts as a training and coaching opportunity but can quickly become a Right Seat problem if left unaddressed. Capacity is not just about raw intelligence or technical skill; it also includes the emotional intelligence, administrative discipline, and mental bandwidth required to execute every role in a seat. If managing people and tracking work in your project management system is one of the five major roles defined for his seat on your Accountability Chart, then he must execute it to standard. To handle this, first ensure he has been given clear expectations, proper training, and the necessary resources to master the software. Have his manager sit down with him to explain how his refusal to use the tool impacts the rest of the company and hurts your exit readiness. Give him a clear, time-bound expectation to improve, tracking his progress over thirty days. If he still cannot or will not manage his team using the required tools, you must face the reality that he does not have the Capacity for this specific leadership seat. You may need to move him to a pure individual contributor architect seat and put someone else in the management seat.