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

Introducing resilient teams

Software development teams face change every day. These changes range from the micro level, such as adjustments to project requirements, to the macro level, such as changes in company direction or goals. When teams overreact to change with emotion by losing confidence, motivation, and momentum, those teams are described as fragile. When teams are more adaptable and react to change with curiosity and open-mindedness, they are resilient teams. The level of change a team can adapt to indicates how fragile or resilient that team is.

The most fragile teams are easily disrupted by relatively trivial changes. They have a limited comfort zone in which they are capable of working. They cling to the familiar and react to change with fear, annoyance, and other strong emotions. They may have an overly rigid view of their workplace and role.

The most resilient teams can consider and navigate significant changes. They can focus on the big picture and take into account...