Book Image

Engineering Manager's Handbook

By : Morgan Evans
Book Image

Engineering Manager's Handbook

By: Morgan Evans

Overview of this book

Delightful and customer-centric digital products have become an expectation in the world of business. Engineering managers are uniquely positioned to impact the success of these products and the software systems that power them. Skillful managers guide their teams and companies to develop functional and maintainable systems. This book helps you find your footing as an engineering manager, develop your leadership style, balance your time between engineering and managing, build successful engineering teams in different settings, and work within constraints without sacrificing technical standards or team empathy. You’ll learn practical techniques for establishing trust, developing beneficial habits, and creating a cohesive and high-performing engineering team. You’ll discover effective strategies to guide and contribute to your team’s efforts, facilitating productivity and collaboration. By the end of this book, you’ll have the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive as an engineering manager. Whether you’re just starting out in your role or seeking to enhance your leadership capabilities, this handbook will empower you to make a lasting impact and drive success in your organization.
Table of Contents (24 chapters)
1
Part 1: The Case for Engineering Management
5
Part 2: Engineering
9
Part 3: Managing
15
Part 4: Transitioning
19
Part 5: Long-Term Strategies

When and where should you manage risk?

Given that risk management is its own field independent of engineering management, it is not always appropriate for engineering managers to take on the responsibility. Risk management can be a full-time job on its own in many cases. You will need to determine the right level of risk management to engage in. To avoid setting yourself up for failure, don’t take full responsibility for risk management when it means you will have to sacrifice more essential duties as an engineering manager.

Some level of risk management can always be assumed as a leader within an organization. Understanding and managing the common risks in software is a good baseline to have in hand as an engineering manager.

In lean workplaces, such as early-stage start-ups with few employees and support roles, you may consider owning project risk management. If you do so, take care to balance it with your other responsibilities by choosing simple assessment methods...