You have described my company's progression to a T. As soon as management empires got built, we lost focus and the entire job was just playing management games.

You have described my company's progression to a T. As soon as management empires got built, we lost focus and the entire job was just playing management games. Managers wanted better ratings than perf managers, so they ran their engineers to the ground. Scoping was whatever manager decided the right scope and timeline was. It's almost embarrassing to see it in action. I am embarrassed that I am being asked to toil and grind for such stupidity.