How to follow up on your project team without micromanaging?

I don't look at it as following up on them. One of the first things that I do is help them break down the tasks in smaller pieces. This way, there is not a lot of time between tasks. I work in an agile methodology so we make sure we meet on a weekly basis. My hard core team (programmers) and I meet 3 times a week. I remind them of our sprint or phase that is ending and the due dates for the tasks. I use my scrum knowledge to ask the three questions:

What did you do yesterday?
What will you do today?
Are there any issues stopping your progress?

The third question is the real reason I am meeting with them. They know this. I fight for them and I get them what they need to have to get the tasks done on time. They like that they don't need to go to additional meetings to get what they need.

I often will tell them that I'm doing something for me...that I need to have extra meetings to keep me on track. That I need to have extra meetings to learn from them the details of the project. It may not be the only reasons, but it puts it on having the meeting for me not for them.

Its worked so far.

I don't look at it as following up on them. One of the first things that I do is help them break down the tasks in smaller pieces. This way, there is not a lot of time between tasks. I work in an agile methodology so we make sure we meet on a weekly basis. My hard core team (programmers) and I meet 3 times a week. I remind them of our sprint or phase that is ending and the due dates for the tasks. I use my scrum knowledge to ask the three questions:

What did you do yesterday?
What will you do today?
Are there any issues stopping your progress?

The third question is the real reason I am meeting with them. They know this. I fight for them and I get them what they need to have to get the tasks done on time. They like that they don't need to go to additional meetings to get what they need.

I often will tell them that I'm doing something for me...that I need to have extra meetings to keep me on track. That I need to have extra meetings to learn from them the details of the project. It may not be the only reasons, but it puts it on having the meeting for me not for them.

Its worked so far.

One person's micromanagement is another's method.

An argument could be made that the daily stand-up meeting and heavy involvement of the Product Owner during Scrum sprints is a form of micromanagement.

With respect to PM's being 'forced' into playing SME roles because proper resources are either over allocated, not-available or incompetent, the only way I have seen this successfully work is if the scope and duration of project can be handled by a single individual. Otherwise, quality, governance and available pm labor take a hit.

When I was in my Project Management Capstone and HR Management Capstone, we (the team) used what Lisa alluded to-

What did we accomplish yesterday?
Where are we today?
And what resources do we need to successfully complete this task?

So, when managing a team, you are really managing their work and work flow.
What did you accomplish yesterday (or last week) ?
Where are you today in relation to finishing the task?
What resources do you need to complete it successfully and how can I help you get those?

Remember these meetings are quick status reports that can help the manager direct resources to the right people, team people up to get work done more efficiently, and provide the manager a more accurate time to completion date.

When you micromanage, you are really throttling the processes to get work done, alienating the team, and increasing opt out attitudes.

From experience I have learned that when your team is composed of less experienced members that are not able to deliver the only thing that could work is to get a more experienced expert on the team to lead the others.

Constant supervision in terms of frequent status report or other management techniques that don't involve giving technical direction and technical instructions to the team members are completely useless.

Asking each day the team members what they did yesterday, what are they going to do today and if they have impediments will not give them the skills they don't have and will not help them to deliver.

Management techniques that don't involve technical direction will only work when the problems that prevent the team members from delivering are not caused by their lack of technical skills. A manager that is not also an experienced SME is powerless when his team lacks the required skills. There is nothing he can do to compensate for the lack of technical skills.

For instance if you have a team of software developers that are unable to deliver because of their limited experience a manager that is not also an experienced developer can't do much to help. An experienced developer on the other hand could do part of the work while also teaching the others so they can also develop the required skills.