Introduction - Journey from an Engineer to Engineering Manager

Picture this: You are an engineer, engaged in your coding world, wrestling with bugs, and devising clever solutions. Life seems good and exciting. Every day is a fresh puzzle, and you live in your high-wired coding fantasy.

Then, one day, the upper management decides it's time for you to "level up." Suddenly, you're promoted to engineering manager. You wonder, how difficult could it be? I am a coding ninja 😈. This is a cakewalk for me.

But a few days later, you realize you've been given the keys to a spaceship after years of driving a car.

Exciting? Yes.

Confusing? Oh, absolutely!

Instead of juggling code and problems, you're now juggling reports, sprint planning, and scrum meetings. You quickly realize being an engineering manager is more than just being a good coder in a room full of engineers. It’s not merely about cracking complex algorithms or coming up with elegant solutions. It’s more than that.

I was also one among you, and I have picked up a few wild and wonderful engineering team management tips that I will share with you to make your engineering managerial life easier. Let’s go!!

Also Read: Top 5 Mistakes That Engineering Managers Make & How to Avoid Them

Quick Tips to Build and Lead High-performing Teams

Establish a Seamless Workflow: Wingin’ it isn’t a Strategy

From my experience, getting a software team to run smoothly starts with setting clear goals and deliverables.

Implementing agile methodologies like Scrum transformed our workflow by breaking projects into manageable sprints.

For example, we had a project where we consistently struggled to meet deadlines. By adopting Scrum, we started with regular sprint planning sessions and daily stand-ups.

This change helped us spot and address issues early. For instance, when a teammate identified a critical bug during a stand-up, it allowed us to fix it before it caused major delays. This new approach not only helped us deliver features on time but also significantly boosted my team's overall productivity and morale.

Plan your Sprints Wisely: Keep those Spillovers in Check

Sprint planning is a vital part of our project management. It helps us set clear goals and see if we’re on track or need to push tasks to the next sprint.

For example, by using Middleware’s Open-Source Dora Metrics, we got detailed insights into our sprints, such as sprint flow. This helped us quickly spot and fix issues.

This tool gives us a full picture across sprint cycles, including metrics on task allocation, progress, spillover, and extra work. This improved visibility helped me with structured decision making and boosted our team’s efficiency and productivity.

Avoid Micromanagement: Provide Freedom to Foster Accountability

Once the objective timeframe has been established, it is critical to encourage your team members to take ownership of their tasks. Allow them to handle their responsibilities without micromanaging. Allowing the engineering team to work freely will encourage a sense of responsibility and trust.

Micromanagement, on the other hand, can stifle innovation and productivity. Finding the right balance between freedom and accountability can help your team grow and meet deadlines more effectively.

Also read: An Engineering Managers Guide to "Measuring What Matters"

Build Trust, Not Blockers: Leverage Your Insider Knowledge of Your Engineering Team

When I transitioned from being a team member to leading the team, I leveraged my familiarity with each engineer to ease the transition. I knew their strengths, weaknesses, and working styles from my previous role.

For instance, I noticed that one engineer who had excelled at backend development was often hesitant to speak up during meetings.

In my new role, I made it a point to connect with this engineer one-on-one and encourage him to share their insights. I used my understanding of his previous contributions to highlight how his expertise was invaluable to our projects. This approach made him feel valued and less intimidated by my new position. By building on our existing rapport, I fostered a more collaborative environment and ensured a smoother transition into my managerial role.

Collaborate, Don’t Dictate: Adopt a Non-linear Approach

Adopt a collaborative environment instead of a top-down approach. Remember, your team comes from different backgrounds, education, and experience, bringing onboard unique perspectives and diverse thought processes. Giving your team the freedom to brainstorm and share ideas unleashes a plethora of innovative solutions and views. This free exchange of ideas not only allows for inventive issue resolution but also ensures that each team member feels appreciated and heard. Taking a non-linear approach to project development, and gathering feedback from all aspects, might result in unexpected breakthroughs and more effective solutions.

Delegate Tasks. Focus on Bigger goals.

In my role as a software engineering manager, I made sure to let my team handle the detailed aspects of our projects while I focused on the bigger picture. I took responsibility for strategic planning, ensuring we had the right resources and support. For example, I regularly checked in with the team to make sure they had the tools they needed and addressed any potential risks proactively.

I also managed stakeholder communication to keep everyone on the same page, Also, I focused on team development to help each member grow and improve their performance. I tracked project milestones to monitor our progress and managed the budget to use our financial resources effectively. Finally, I took charge of quality assurance to ensure that our final product met all expectations. By allowing my team to handle the finer details, I could concentrate on these broader responsibilities, ultimately leading to a successful project outcome.

Train and Mentor

In my experience as a manager, I made it a priority to equip my team with industry best practices and the latest software trends through targeted training. For instance, I organized workshops on emerging technologies and encouraged team members to attend relevant conferences. This not only kept their skills sharp but also helped them excel in their roles. Additionally, I provided one-on-one mentorship to guide their career development. I regularly checked in with team members to discuss their career goals and offered support to help them overcome professional challenges. By investing in their growth and providing continuous learning opportunities, I saw significant improvements in their performance and overall job satisfaction.

Also Read: An Engineering Manager’s Pocket Guide To Dealing With Technical Debt

To Conclude - Engineering Management: It’s More Than Just Managing Tasks

Engineering management isn't exactly rocket science, but it’s not a walk in the park either. While engineers are adept at decoding the language of machines, managers must master the art of human empathy, patience, and resilience. It's about setting aside insecurities and pettiness to focus on achieving the larger project goals and leading the team to success. Also, as a software engineering manager, your ability to build and lead high performing teams is crucial for your project’s success. In such cases, having an engineering team productivity platform such as MiddlewareHQ’s Dora Metrics always comes in handy. Use it as a tool to improve the predictability and visibility of your engineering pipeline instead of micromanaging and making your engineers' lives miserable. 😛

Also read: Why Your Best Developers Hate Productivity Metrics (And How to Change Their Minds)

FAQs

1. How can I measure the performance of my engineering team?

You can measure the performance of your engineering team's performance using DORA metrics. DORA Metrics helps track the four key indicators: deployment frequency, lead time for changes, mean time to restore (MTTR), and change failure rate. These metrics offer insights into your team’s efficiency, stability, and ability to deliver and recover from changes successfully.

2. What are the KPI metrics for team performance?

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) metrics for team performance include individual productivity, project completion rate, defeat rates, adherence to coding guidelines, and quality of work.

3. How can I grow as an engineering manager?

To grow as an Engineering Manager, you must develop managerial abilities, listen, communicate, collaborate, establish a defined and streamlined process, and maintain a clear long-term vision for your product's and team's success.