Engineering Management for everyone

Occasions

A talk I presented at …

Abstract

Everybody has a manager, if they like it or not, if they actually work with them or not. Still, when reading typical IT focused web- or news sites there seems to be a somewhat common view, that managers are overhead at best and a hindrance at worst.

Based on my own experience, on the multiple occasions where I had to work with managers whom I felt did not manage (pun-intended) to support me and my team’s work, I understand this view. However, having been a manager for several different teams in the past, I feel this view is throwing the baby out with the bath water.

That’s why I want to show there is, actually a lot of, value in engineering management. I will do this by giving an overview of what’s considered to be part of an engineering manager’s job today. Be it proper 1on1-meetings, providing transparency into and context for a team’s work or constructive and actionable feedback. I will also include what everyone on a team can do, to have a good foundation for a functional relationship with their managers. Because management is a two-way street.

Slides

Video

The following video of me giving the talk in german was recorded on 3-May-2019 at Wiesbaden TechTalk #29.