Book Image

The Successful Software Manager

By : Herman Fung
Book Image

The Successful Software Manager

By: Herman Fung

Overview of this book

The Successful Software Manager is a comprehensive and practical guide to managing software developers, software customers, and the process of deciding what software needs to be built. It explains in detail how to develop a management mindset, lead a high-performing developer team, and meet all the expectations of a good manager. The book will help you whether you’ve chosen to pursue a career in management or have been asked to "act up" as a manager. Whether you’re a Development Manager, Product Manager, Team Leader, Solution Architect, or IT Director, this is your indispensable guide to all aspects of running your team and working within an organization and dealing with colleagues, customers, potential customers, and technologists, to ensure you build the product your organization needs. This book is the must-have authoritative guide to managing projects, managing people, and preparing yourself to be an effective manager. The intuitive real-life examples will act as a desk companion for any day-to-day challenge, and beyond that, Herman will show you how to prepare for the next stages and how to achieve career success.

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Table of Contents (21 chapters)
Title Page
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Copyright and Credits
The Successful Software Manager
About Packt
About Packt
Why subscribe?
Contributors
Contributors
About the author
About the reviewer
Preface
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
Get in touch
Free Chapter
1
Why Do You Want to Become a Manager?
Why Do You Want to Become a Manager?
Start with "why?"
The pros and cons of becoming a manager
Where am I and how did I get here?
Are you ready to become a manager?
What jobs are there?
Does being a manager mean managing people?
The "Accidental Manager"
Summary
2
What Are the Key Skills I Need?
What Are the Key Skills I Need?
Skill 1 – Flexibility and adaptability
Skill 2 – Communication, communication, communication
Skill 3 – Team leadership
Skill 4 – Stakeholder management
Skill 5 – Negotiation
Skill 6 – Using a chosen methodology
If I'm not ready, then how do I get ready?
How do I get the job?
Will I like it?
The interview and the offer
Summary
3
What Is My Job Now?
What Is My Job Now?
The seven fundamental roles of any software project
Your first day
Your first week
Summary
4
A Week in the Life of a Manager
A Week in the Life of a Manager
The 70/20/10 blended learning model
The ITIL framework
The weekly project template
The development process template
Summary
5
Managing Your Team
Managing Your Team
Building and maintaining a team
Managing your team
Managing your boss
Managing your peers
Managing your customers
Summary
6
Asking the Right Questions to Your Users
Asking the Right Questions to Your Users
Information overload
Understanding situational context
The five different types of users and what they need
The five whys
Asking why, nicely
Summary
7
Meetings
Meetings
The off-duty chat
The meet and greet
The sales meeting
The requirements workshop meeting
The product demo meeting
Summary
8
Design Techniques
Design Techniques
Design teams and stakeholders
The five design techniques
Design technique 1 – storyboards
Design technique 2 – use cases
Design technique 3 – wireframes
Design technique 4 – mockups
Design technique 5 – prototypes
How to be a "whiteboard rockstar"
Summary
9
Validating the Solution
Validating the Solution
No solution is perfect
Technical validation
Business validation
Design thinking
Building consensus
Writing the business case and getting sign-off
Summary
10
Agile, Waterfall, and Everything in Between
Agile, Waterfall, and Everything in Between
Methodologies – A summary and comparison
The language of the PMO
The stage-gate process
Death by boring project status update
Keeping it simple, stupid
Past mistakes and changing the status quo
Summary
11
Always Be Shipping
Always Be Shipping
Creating a delivery-focused team ethos
The User Acceptance Testing (UAT) review
Always be selling – why it's my job, and that's OK
Summary
12
The Training Day
The Training Day
Approaching the training day
The support request is still training
The post-mortem
Nobody cares - what to do about it
Summary
13
Organizational Management in the 21st Century
Organizational Management in the 21st Century
Introduction
An old myth – the manager has all the answers
Separating leadership and management
Navigating a new world of work
Not all motivation is born equal
The five key concepts in self-management
Management systems – a comparison
Is it safe to try at home?
Summary
14
Developing Yourself as a Leader
Developing Yourself as a Leader
You can't separate a leader and their team
Developing awareness as a manager
You treat others how you treat yourself
Rationality and emotion in a manager
Exercise – Assessing your emotional awareness
Leading with intention
Exercise – Motivator map
The habits of successful leaders
Exercise – Refactoring your habit inventory
How leaders use alignment
Summary – Work on yourself to lead your team
15
Your Next Steps
Your Next Steps
So, what's next?
Can I still be creative?
Stop coding!
Actually keep coding!
Developing others
Creativity bursts
Looking towards your future
What comes next on your journey?
Other Books You May Enjoy
Other Books You May Enjoy
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Developing Yourself as a Leader

This chapter has been written by Matthew Bellringer, founder of Meaningbit.

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."
– Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher

I'm delighted to introduce Matthew Bellringer, the guest author of this chapter, which is all about how to develop your own human potential. Matthew is the founder and director of Meaningbit LTD, a British start-up that facilitates organizational growth by unlocking human potential within organizations. Using his experience in IT innovation management, Matthew supports digital transformation projects, productization, and workflow automation.

While Matthew is an academic at heart, he also...

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