I'm not saying these are the only questions that should be asked, or that this should be the only way of getting feedback. I suggested questions for a 30-second weekly survey. I think longer surveys with more detailed feedback should be done periodically as well.
And, if you decide to just always say things are going well, then that's what management will see, and the status quo will remain. At least until a project goes poorly--delivered late and a buggy mess. Then, if I were a high-level manager, I would look at the surveys and see that the team was happy and believed everything was perfectly okay right up until failure, and I would judge the team as incompetent, because a competent team would see failure approaching long before it happens. I'm not saying I would fire anyone, but clearly a discussion needs to be had with the team manager, and probably the whole team, about reporting problems early.
Of course, if a company wants people to report problems early, then they need a culture that responds well to early warning signs, rather than the shoot-the-messenger culture that is all too common. I do sympathize with your frustration for fucked up company cultures.
And, if you decide to just always say things are going well, then that's what management will see, and the status quo will remain. At least until a project goes poorly--delivered late and a buggy mess. Then, if I were a high-level manager, I would look at the surveys and see that the team was happy and believed everything was perfectly okay right up until failure, and I would judge the team as incompetent, because a competent team would see failure approaching long before it happens. I'm not saying I would fire anyone, but clearly a discussion needs to be had with the team manager, and probably the whole team, about reporting problems early.
Of course, if a company wants people to report problems early, then they need a culture that responds well to early warning signs, rather than the shoot-the-messenger culture that is all too common. I do sympathize with your frustration for fucked up company cultures.