Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs

398 Pages·2020·7.62 MB·english

by  James Stanier

Early Praise for Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager
James’s book will be at the top of my mind when I start a product company. The
content is not just for software engineering managers—technical leaders, CTOs,
and managers will all benefit from practical advice that helps them be successful
with the people they manage and work with.
➤ Stephen Bussey
Author of Real-Time Phoenix; Software Architect, SalesLoft
I am really grateful that finally a book exists on how to be a good technical man-
ager, with engineering-level clear instructions. This book is the only reason I have
survived my first two months on the job. I followed its advice on hiring, running
one-to-ones, and most importantly, managing my own time. We hired some
amazing people, and the hires and my sanity are still here—so this book must be
teaching me something right.
➤ Lev Konstantinovskiy
Data Science Team Lead, Trading Firm
This is a book I wish every engineering manager read before they stepped into the
role. Bite-sized pieces of advice on engineering management that you would expect
from a Pragmatic Publishers book.
➤ Patrick Kua
Founder, Patkua.com
There still are very few books written by hands-on engineering managers working
at tech companies on how to succeed in this kind of environment. This book is
exactly that. The stories are relatable, the takeaways well articulated, and the
exercises will help readers become better managers. It’s the book I’ll be recom-
mending to new managers transitioning into the role, managers starting at a new
company, and experienced managers looking to make an organization-wide impact.
➤ Gergely Orosz
Engineering Manager, Uber
James comes across as a sincere author who writes from his experience in man-
agement, and it shows in his writing.
➤ Chris Dudley
Engineer, Brandwatch
Become an Effective Software
Engineering Manager
How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs
James Stanier
The Pragmatic Bookshelf
Raleigh, North Carolina
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ISBN-13: 978-1-68050-724-9
Encoded using the finest acid-free high-entropy binary digits.
Book version: P1.0—May 2020
Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Part I — Getting Oriented
1. A New Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Beginning Your First Week 5
Creating a Snapshot 7
Making an Action List 14
And Relax… 15
2. Manage Yourself First . . . . . . . . . . 17
Let’s Get Organized! 18
How to Categorize Your Activities to Feel Productive 29
How to Measure Your Output as a Manager 33
OK, I’m Ready! 34
Part II — Working with Individuals
3. Interfacing with Humans . . . . . . . . . . 39
How to Communicate Well 42
Delegation 51
Working with Your Manager 56
Onward! 61
4. One-to-Ones . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Week In, Week Out 65
How to Prepare for One-to-Ones 66
Contracting: Your First One-to-Ones 67
What to Talk About and How to Do It 72
Contents • vi
How to Take Notes and Assign Actions 75
Remember: You Are Not a Therapist 77
OK, What’s Next? 77
5. The Right Job for the Person . . . . . . . . 79
What Motivates People? 81
The Zone of Proximal Development 86
The Cathedral and the Bazaar 93
A Review Before Reviews 97
6. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year . . . . . . 99
Myth Busting 101
How to Prepare for Performance Reviews 103
What to Do on the Day 113
How to Talk About Money 115
Where to Next? 116
7. Join Us! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Picking Who to Hire 121
Writing Great Job Descriptions 126
Setting Up an Interview Process 131
From Hiring To… 145
8. Game Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
People Leaving Is Normal 149
When Staff Leave 150
Fighting the Good Fight 155
Making Staff Leave 157
Enough Goodbyes Already! 165
9. How to Win Friends and Influence People . . . . . 167
Going Beyond Your Team 169
Building Your Network 170
Giving Back 174
Time to Take It Up a Level 184
Part III — The Bigger Picture
10. Humans Are Hard . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Scrutiny and Judgment 189
Wobble 193
The Whip and the Carrot 197
Contents • vii
Mount Stupid 201
It Isn’t Just Humans… 206
11. Projects Are Hard . . . . . . . . . . . 207
The Eye of Sauron 209
Victims of Your Own Success 214
Scope, Resources, and Time 217
And Relax… 222
12. The Information Stock Exchange . . . . . . . 225
Spies and Gatekeepers 227
How to Share Just Enough Information 229
Workplace Politics 236
It’s Time to Decompress 242
13. Letting Go of Control . . . . . . . . . . 243
Transcending Tasks 245
Escaping the False Productivity Trap 250
What You Do Outside of Work Matters 255
Letting Go…of This Chapter 261
14. Good Housekeeping . . . . . . . . . . 263
Communication Dictates Software Design 265
Breaking Silos with Guilds 268
Encouraging a Culture of Talks 272
Turning Problems into Learning Opportunities 277
Tools to Solve Common Problems 282
Now Let’s Organize Our Careers 285
15. Dual Ladders . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Individual Contributor Track 289
Management Track 291
Creating a Progression Framework 293
Career Progression Troubleshooting 298
Time to Tackle the Big Issues 302
16. The Modern Workplace . . . . . . . . . . 305
Diversity and Inclusion 307
The Shift Toward Remote Working 314
Work-Life Balance 322
Notes on Culture 324
To the Land of Unicorns 325
Contents • viii
17. Startups . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Software Is Eating the World 328
Opportunities for Managers 329
Why Management at Startups Is Critical 337
What Does Your Future Hold? 338
18. The Crystal Ball . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Life, the Universe, and Everything in Between 342
Your Vision 344
Your Plan 349
Performing the Exercise with Your Staff 352
That’s All Folks! 354
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361