You're absolutely right, management is not programming. But management is LIKE programming in that there are frameworks and libraries developed by people before

You're absolutely right, management is not programming. But management is LIKE programming in that there are frameworks and libraries developed by people before you that you can use so you don't have to learn everything the hard way. In this case, I suggest the OP read up on the situational leadership framework [1] (Wikipedia is a good start but I suggest you pick up a book since they explain it far better). It is designed for the exact problem OP is encountering: what to do when you have people with different levels of expertise at a task. In a nutshell, it's about helping your subordinates manage the experience curve by recognizing where they are and providing the right kind of encouragement at the right time. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory