Here are three things that can cause stress on a project:

1.) Tight deadlines
2.) Long hours
3.) A struggling team member

While individually these can all lead to stress on a project team, combined they can be deadly. The first two problems mentioned above are hard to mitigate, especially when they are both occurring at the same time. However, the third one seems like an easy solution on the surface: Cut the team member loose. Unfortunately, this is a tactic that is taken much too quickly in many situations. Instead, I would counsel the following: Take the extra time to try and develop the team member. Here are a few situations in which this especially a good idea:

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