Knowledge shared by our community

Analyzing a Problem for Real Causes and Coming to a Pragmatic Solution

This article discusses the problem of slower velocity and low productivity in a team. After analyzing the problem, the team found that context switching, duplication, and lack of resources were the main causes. To improve the situation, the team focused on improving the developer experience. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of a problem and measuring it objectively before attempting to solve it.

How an Organization Restructure can Enhance the Energy Levels & risk appetite of a Team

This article outlines how a leader restructured a team of engineers to increase innovation and productivity. The leader hired 30% more junior engineers to balance the knowledge level and energy within the team. The leader also established smaller teams of juniors and seniors to form strong relationships and foster learning. Lastly, the leader implemented a system of projects and initiatives to allow juniors to try new methods and techniques with low risk to the business. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and celebrating small milestones to ensure a successful transition.

Decreasing Distractions During the Remote Workday

Remote working has caused difficulty in separating work and life, making it easy for engineers to work long hours. To create boundaries between work and life, engineers should use a transitional space, reduce distractions from home, and create habits. Essential skills for remote workers include written communication and taking breaks.

How to Successfully Transition From Engineer to Product Leader

This article outlines the steps taken by an engineer to transition to a product manager role. These steps include expressing interest to management, investing in learning, and building a brand. The combination of these steps enabled the engineer to successfully transition to a product manager role. The article also emphasizes the importance of continuing to develop skills and knowledge once in the role.

Craft or Context?: Simplifying the Career Path

This article discusses the importance of formalizing a career path and the tools used to do so. It explains how the author used spreadsheets and professional tools to create a simplified two-pronged career path for their organization. It also explains the three dimensions of growth (scope, time frame, and size) that need to be considered when managing a career path. Finally, it highlights the success of the career path and how it was used to promote several engineers.

Embodying a Growth Mindset for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the ever-changing and complex software engineering industry and provides resources for engineers to grow their skills and mindset. It recommends podcasts, books, and hands-on experiences such as mentoring and side hustles to help engineers stay ahead of the curve. It emphasizes the importance of trust, commitment, and accountability in teams and encourages engineers to practice their craft in order to stay at the top of their game.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

This article outlines the challenges of building a team from the ground up, including finding strong talent and developing technology. It also discusses the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety and nurturing team members, both internal and external. The author emphasizes the need to focus on the culture before the technical aspects and to be in a learning mode all the time.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

After being promoted to team lead, I learned that my estimations for my team often came up short, resulting in a decrease in quality and increase in stress. To create better estimations, I implemented a process of evaluating the complexity, unknowns, and scope of the task. Additionally, I learned to understand my team members' strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement with empathy. Finally, I found that collective estimations and understanding the differences between experienced and newer team members were essential for successful estimations.

How Mentorship Enabled me To Become a Manager

A woman engineer found it difficult to transition into a managerial role despite her technical skills and experience. She took the advice of her peers and started by showing her interest in the role and volunteering to mentor junior engineers. With the help of her coworkers and the CTO, she was able to acquire the managerial position she had been hoping for. Her advice to new managers is to not handhold their juniors for too long and to not take roles that require them to code part-time.

Growing in Your Career and Becoming a Full-Stack Engineer

After working as an engineer for a long time, the author decided to pursue their passion and become a full-stack engineer. They then sought out an opportunity to be the first engineer in something, and eventually found one. Through this experience, they gained leadership experience with front-end, back-end, and dev ops teams. The author also provides advice for other engineers looking to grow, such as specializing in one field before transitioning to learn new languages and departments, and understanding how they learn best.

The Benefits of Performance Reviews and How to Carry Them Out

Performance management processes vary greatly between companies, ranging from non-existent to well-thought-out. To make performance reviews more successful, goals, feedback, and frequent check-ins should be incorporated into the process. This will help individuals achieve their potential and grow in the company, while also helping the business grow. Performance management should be a continuous process, separate from promotion and compensation conversations.

Understanding One Another: The Secret to Collaboration

As an engineering leader, it is essential to understand and know oneself and be open to diverse ideas and acceptance of differences. Having traveled to various countries and interacted with diverse cultures has been a tremendous advantage to me in the workplace. I have come to understand that cultural difference affects everyone’s unique bias and that coaching is the most remarkable practice that can help teams express their tendencies in a safe environment. To improve one’s empathy, it is important to understand before seeking to be understood, ask questions, and act humbly.

Using Documentation to Increase Efficiency in the Remote Workplace

This article discusses how to increase efficiency and productivity in a remote workplace. It suggests writing things down, onboarding for projects, and having informal communication to help build relationships. It also suggests leading by example and using engagement surveys to identify potential problems.

Making the Unpopular Decision to Focus on Stability Before New Products

As an engineering leader, the author faced a difficult decision to slow down development to focus on stability, despite pressure from stakeholders to develop new features. The author used data to measure the number of operational errors and discrepancies in time between firefighting and delivering new products, and used this data to educate stakeholders and leadership on the need to slow down development. The author also created a plan to address the root cause of the issues and negotiated a new normal to ensure a healthy split of product development and focus on paying down tech debt.

Taking Ownership of a Legacy System

This article discusses the challenges of taking over a massive system and codebase with little experience. It outlines the steps taken to audit the existing system, align with business and product, and assign clear ownership of areas. It also highlights the importance of connecting with subject matter experts, creating commitments, and understanding dependencies. Ultimately, the article provides lessons learned to help teams take over legacy systems.

How to Encourage Your Direct Reports to Do Their Best Work

A manager can create an environment where good ideas can surface and flourish by trusting their direct reports and allowing them the time and flexibility to test out their ideas. This approach worked for one lead engineer, who ended up winning a hackathon and pitching their idea to the President of the company, which was then funded and is now a substantial revenue-generating product.

Effective Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Technical and Product Leaders

When entering a new product area, the product owners and principal engineer collaborated to define the problem space and create a template for successful productization and operationalization. This collaboration also created a Venn diagram to help the team understand the difference between a good and great engineer. The engineer's research gave the product owners an understanding of the full scope, MVP approach, customer perspective, and future iterations. This modus operandi was successfully applied to other new features.

What an Engineering Manager Should Be Aware of in a SaaS-Based B2B Company

In order to survive, change, though hard, is essential. At one of the previous B2B SaaS companies, a new product executive came in and mentioned that the product needed to pivot. This required changes to be done by both Product and Engineering orgs. Navigating the discomfort across the team required educating them on the potential business impact and how crucial it is for the success of the product. Business acumen and adaptability are the keys to successful outcomes, and being flexible and adaptable to changes and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders will open up new opportunities for growth and success.

Why One-On-One Conversations Are Important and How to Make Them Efficient

One-on-one meetings are an effective way of communication between managers and their direct reports. Managers should come prepared and set a framework for the meeting, beginning with a positive note and asking how far the direct report has come with their goals. Additionally, managers should understand their team members' needs and what makes them happy to get the total productivity of the group.

Knowing When and How to Migrate From the Legacy System

In this role, the author was tasked with transitioning away from a legacy system to a newer experience. To do this, they formed a technical strategy using the strangler pattern, devised a product vision, and created a resource plan. Additionally, they solved operational challenges by breaking them down into smaller pieces and solving them iteratively. This allowed them to transition away from the legacy system in a more manageable way.

Analyzing a Problem for Real Causes and Coming to a Pragmatic Solution

This article discusses the problem of slower velocity and low productivity in a team. After analyzing the problem, the team found that context switching, duplication, and lack of resources were the main causes. To improve the situation, the team focused on improving the developer experience. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of a problem and measuring it objectively before attempting to solve it.

How an Organization Restructure can Enhance the Energy Levels & risk appetite of a Team

This article outlines how a leader restructured a team of engineers to increase innovation and productivity. The leader hired 30% more junior engineers to balance the knowledge level and energy within the team. The leader also established smaller teams of juniors and seniors to form strong relationships and foster learning. Lastly, the leader implemented a system of projects and initiatives to allow juniors to try new methods and techniques with low risk to the business. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and celebrating small milestones to ensure a successful transition.

Decreasing Distractions During the Remote Workday

Remote working has caused difficulty in separating work and life, making it easy for engineers to work long hours. To create boundaries between work and life, engineers should use a transitional space, reduce distractions from home, and create habits. Essential skills for remote workers include written communication and taking breaks.

How to Successfully Transition From Engineer to Product Leader

This article outlines the steps taken by an engineer to transition to a product manager role. These steps include expressing interest to management, investing in learning, and building a brand. The combination of these steps enabled the engineer to successfully transition to a product manager role. The article also emphasizes the importance of continuing to develop skills and knowledge once in the role.

Craft or Context?: Simplifying the Career Path

This article discusses the importance of formalizing a career path and the tools used to do so. It explains how the author used spreadsheets and professional tools to create a simplified two-pronged career path for their organization. It also explains the three dimensions of growth (scope, time frame, and size) that need to be considered when managing a career path. Finally, it highlights the success of the career path and how it was used to promote several engineers.

Embodying a Growth Mindset for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the ever-changing and complex software engineering industry and provides resources for engineers to grow their skills and mindset. It recommends podcasts, books, and hands-on experiences such as mentoring and side hustles to help engineers stay ahead of the curve. It emphasizes the importance of trust, commitment, and accountability in teams and encourages engineers to practice their craft in order to stay at the top of their game.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

This article outlines the challenges of building a team from the ground up, including finding strong talent and developing technology. It also discusses the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety and nurturing team members, both internal and external. The author emphasizes the need to focus on the culture before the technical aspects and to be in a learning mode all the time.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

After being promoted to team lead, I learned that my estimations for my team often came up short, resulting in a decrease in quality and increase in stress. To create better estimations, I implemented a process of evaluating the complexity, unknowns, and scope of the task. Additionally, I learned to understand my team members' strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement with empathy. Finally, I found that collective estimations and understanding the differences between experienced and newer team members were essential for successful estimations.

How Mentorship Enabled me To Become a Manager

A woman engineer found it difficult to transition into a managerial role despite her technical skills and experience. She took the advice of her peers and started by showing her interest in the role and volunteering to mentor junior engineers. With the help of her coworkers and the CTO, she was able to acquire the managerial position she had been hoping for. Her advice to new managers is to not handhold their juniors for too long and to not take roles that require them to code part-time.

Growing in Your Career and Becoming a Full-Stack Engineer

After working as an engineer for a long time, the author decided to pursue their passion and become a full-stack engineer. They then sought out an opportunity to be the first engineer in something, and eventually found one. Through this experience, they gained leadership experience with front-end, back-end, and dev ops teams. The author also provides advice for other engineers looking to grow, such as specializing in one field before transitioning to learn new languages and departments, and understanding how they learn best.

The Benefits of Performance Reviews and How to Carry Them Out

Performance management processes vary greatly between companies, ranging from non-existent to well-thought-out. To make performance reviews more successful, goals, feedback, and frequent check-ins should be incorporated into the process. This will help individuals achieve their potential and grow in the company, while also helping the business grow. Performance management should be a continuous process, separate from promotion and compensation conversations.

Understanding One Another: The Secret to Collaboration

As an engineering leader, it is essential to understand and know oneself and be open to diverse ideas and acceptance of differences. Having traveled to various countries and interacted with diverse cultures has been a tremendous advantage to me in the workplace. I have come to understand that cultural difference affects everyone’s unique bias and that coaching is the most remarkable practice that can help teams express their tendencies in a safe environment. To improve one’s empathy, it is important to understand before seeking to be understood, ask questions, and act humbly.

Using Documentation to Increase Efficiency in the Remote Workplace

This article discusses how to increase efficiency and productivity in a remote workplace. It suggests writing things down, onboarding for projects, and having informal communication to help build relationships. It also suggests leading by example and using engagement surveys to identify potential problems.

Making the Unpopular Decision to Focus on Stability Before New Products

As an engineering leader, the author faced a difficult decision to slow down development to focus on stability, despite pressure from stakeholders to develop new features. The author used data to measure the number of operational errors and discrepancies in time between firefighting and delivering new products, and used this data to educate stakeholders and leadership on the need to slow down development. The author also created a plan to address the root cause of the issues and negotiated a new normal to ensure a healthy split of product development and focus on paying down tech debt.

Taking Ownership of a Legacy System

This article discusses the challenges of taking over a massive system and codebase with little experience. It outlines the steps taken to audit the existing system, align with business and product, and assign clear ownership of areas. It also highlights the importance of connecting with subject matter experts, creating commitments, and understanding dependencies. Ultimately, the article provides lessons learned to help teams take over legacy systems.

How to Encourage Your Direct Reports to Do Their Best Work

A manager can create an environment where good ideas can surface and flourish by trusting their direct reports and allowing them the time and flexibility to test out their ideas. This approach worked for one lead engineer, who ended up winning a hackathon and pitching their idea to the President of the company, which was then funded and is now a substantial revenue-generating product.

Effective Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Technical and Product Leaders

When entering a new product area, the product owners and principal engineer collaborated to define the problem space and create a template for successful productization and operationalization. This collaboration also created a Venn diagram to help the team understand the difference between a good and great engineer. The engineer's research gave the product owners an understanding of the full scope, MVP approach, customer perspective, and future iterations. This modus operandi was successfully applied to other new features.

What an Engineering Manager Should Be Aware of in a SaaS-Based B2B Company

In order to survive, change, though hard, is essential. At one of the previous B2B SaaS companies, a new product executive came in and mentioned that the product needed to pivot. This required changes to be done by both Product and Engineering orgs. Navigating the discomfort across the team required educating them on the potential business impact and how crucial it is for the success of the product. Business acumen and adaptability are the keys to successful outcomes, and being flexible and adaptable to changes and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders will open up new opportunities for growth and success.

Why One-On-One Conversations Are Important and How to Make Them Efficient

One-on-one meetings are an effective way of communication between managers and their direct reports. Managers should come prepared and set a framework for the meeting, beginning with a positive note and asking how far the direct report has come with their goals. Additionally, managers should understand their team members' needs and what makes them happy to get the total productivity of the group.

Knowing When and How to Migrate From the Legacy System

In this role, the author was tasked with transitioning away from a legacy system to a newer experience. To do this, they formed a technical strategy using the strangler pattern, devised a product vision, and created a resource plan. Additionally, they solved operational challenges by breaking them down into smaller pieces and solving them iteratively. This allowed them to transition away from the legacy system in a more manageable way.

Analyzing a Problem for Real Causes and Coming to a Pragmatic Solution

This article discusses the problem of slower velocity and low productivity in a team. After analyzing the problem, the team found that context switching, duplication, and lack of resources were the main causes. To improve the situation, the team focused on improving the developer experience. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of a problem and measuring it objectively before attempting to solve it.

How an Organization Restructure can Enhance the Energy Levels & risk appetite of a Team

This article outlines how a leader restructured a team of engineers to increase innovation and productivity. The leader hired 30% more junior engineers to balance the knowledge level and energy within the team. The leader also established smaller teams of juniors and seniors to form strong relationships and foster learning. Lastly, the leader implemented a system of projects and initiatives to allow juniors to try new methods and techniques with low risk to the business. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and celebrating small milestones to ensure a successful transition.

Decreasing Distractions During the Remote Workday

Remote working has caused difficulty in separating work and life, making it easy for engineers to work long hours. To create boundaries between work and life, engineers should use a transitional space, reduce distractions from home, and create habits. Essential skills for remote workers include written communication and taking breaks.

How to Successfully Transition From Engineer to Product Leader

This article outlines the steps taken by an engineer to transition to a product manager role. These steps include expressing interest to management, investing in learning, and building a brand. The combination of these steps enabled the engineer to successfully transition to a product manager role. The article also emphasizes the importance of continuing to develop skills and knowledge once in the role.

Craft or Context?: Simplifying the Career Path

This article discusses the importance of formalizing a career path and the tools used to do so. It explains how the author used spreadsheets and professional tools to create a simplified two-pronged career path for their organization. It also explains the three dimensions of growth (scope, time frame, and size) that need to be considered when managing a career path. Finally, it highlights the success of the career path and how it was used to promote several engineers.

Embodying a Growth Mindset for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the ever-changing and complex software engineering industry and provides resources for engineers to grow their skills and mindset. It recommends podcasts, books, and hands-on experiences such as mentoring and side hustles to help engineers stay ahead of the curve. It emphasizes the importance of trust, commitment, and accountability in teams and encourages engineers to practice their craft in order to stay at the top of their game.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

This article outlines the challenges of building a team from the ground up, including finding strong talent and developing technology. It also discusses the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety and nurturing team members, both internal and external. The author emphasizes the need to focus on the culture before the technical aspects and to be in a learning mode all the time.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

After being promoted to team lead, I learned that my estimations for my team often came up short, resulting in a decrease in quality and increase in stress. To create better estimations, I implemented a process of evaluating the complexity, unknowns, and scope of the task. Additionally, I learned to understand my team members' strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement with empathy. Finally, I found that collective estimations and understanding the differences between experienced and newer team members were essential for successful estimations.

How Mentorship Enabled me To Become a Manager

A woman engineer found it difficult to transition into a managerial role despite her technical skills and experience. She took the advice of her peers and started by showing her interest in the role and volunteering to mentor junior engineers. With the help of her coworkers and the CTO, she was able to acquire the managerial position she had been hoping for. Her advice to new managers is to not handhold their juniors for too long and to not take roles that require them to code part-time.

Growing in Your Career and Becoming a Full-Stack Engineer

After working as an engineer for a long time, the author decided to pursue their passion and become a full-stack engineer. They then sought out an opportunity to be the first engineer in something, and eventually found one. Through this experience, they gained leadership experience with front-end, back-end, and dev ops teams. The author also provides advice for other engineers looking to grow, such as specializing in one field before transitioning to learn new languages and departments, and understanding how they learn best.

The Benefits of Performance Reviews and How to Carry Them Out

Performance management processes vary greatly between companies, ranging from non-existent to well-thought-out. To make performance reviews more successful, goals, feedback, and frequent check-ins should be incorporated into the process. This will help individuals achieve their potential and grow in the company, while also helping the business grow. Performance management should be a continuous process, separate from promotion and compensation conversations.

Understanding One Another: The Secret to Collaboration

As an engineering leader, it is essential to understand and know oneself and be open to diverse ideas and acceptance of differences. Having traveled to various countries and interacted with diverse cultures has been a tremendous advantage to me in the workplace. I have come to understand that cultural difference affects everyone’s unique bias and that coaching is the most remarkable practice that can help teams express their tendencies in a safe environment. To improve one’s empathy, it is important to understand before seeking to be understood, ask questions, and act humbly.

Using Documentation to Increase Efficiency in the Remote Workplace

This article discusses how to increase efficiency and productivity in a remote workplace. It suggests writing things down, onboarding for projects, and having informal communication to help build relationships. It also suggests leading by example and using engagement surveys to identify potential problems.

Making the Unpopular Decision to Focus on Stability Before New Products

As an engineering leader, the author faced a difficult decision to slow down development to focus on stability, despite pressure from stakeholders to develop new features. The author used data to measure the number of operational errors and discrepancies in time between firefighting and delivering new products, and used this data to educate stakeholders and leadership on the need to slow down development. The author also created a plan to address the root cause of the issues and negotiated a new normal to ensure a healthy split of product development and focus on paying down tech debt.

Taking Ownership of a Legacy System

This article discusses the challenges of taking over a massive system and codebase with little experience. It outlines the steps taken to audit the existing system, align with business and product, and assign clear ownership of areas. It also highlights the importance of connecting with subject matter experts, creating commitments, and understanding dependencies. Ultimately, the article provides lessons learned to help teams take over legacy systems.

How to Encourage Your Direct Reports to Do Their Best Work

A manager can create an environment where good ideas can surface and flourish by trusting their direct reports and allowing them the time and flexibility to test out their ideas. This approach worked for one lead engineer, who ended up winning a hackathon and pitching their idea to the President of the company, which was then funded and is now a substantial revenue-generating product.

Effective Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Technical and Product Leaders

When entering a new product area, the product owners and principal engineer collaborated to define the problem space and create a template for successful productization and operationalization. This collaboration also created a Venn diagram to help the team understand the difference between a good and great engineer. The engineer's research gave the product owners an understanding of the full scope, MVP approach, customer perspective, and future iterations. This modus operandi was successfully applied to other new features.

What an Engineering Manager Should Be Aware of in a SaaS-Based B2B Company

In order to survive, change, though hard, is essential. At one of the previous B2B SaaS companies, a new product executive came in and mentioned that the product needed to pivot. This required changes to be done by both Product and Engineering orgs. Navigating the discomfort across the team required educating them on the potential business impact and how crucial it is for the success of the product. Business acumen and adaptability are the keys to successful outcomes, and being flexible and adaptable to changes and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders will open up new opportunities for growth and success.

Why One-On-One Conversations Are Important and How to Make Them Efficient

One-on-one meetings are an effective way of communication between managers and their direct reports. Managers should come prepared and set a framework for the meeting, beginning with a positive note and asking how far the direct report has come with their goals. Additionally, managers should understand their team members' needs and what makes them happy to get the total productivity of the group.

Knowing When and How to Migrate From the Legacy System

In this role, the author was tasked with transitioning away from a legacy system to a newer experience. To do this, they formed a technical strategy using the strangler pattern, devised a product vision, and created a resource plan. Additionally, they solved operational challenges by breaking them down into smaller pieces and solving them iteratively. This allowed them to transition away from the legacy system in a more manageable way.

Analyzing a Problem for Real Causes and Coming to a Pragmatic Solution

This article discusses the problem of slower velocity and low productivity in a team. After analyzing the problem, the team found that context switching, duplication, and lack of resources were the main causes. To improve the situation, the team focused on improving the developer experience. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of a problem and measuring it objectively before attempting to solve it.

How an Organization Restructure can Enhance the Energy Levels & risk appetite of a Team

This article outlines how a leader restructured a team of engineers to increase innovation and productivity. The leader hired 30% more junior engineers to balance the knowledge level and energy within the team. The leader also established smaller teams of juniors and seniors to form strong relationships and foster learning. Lastly, the leader implemented a system of projects and initiatives to allow juniors to try new methods and techniques with low risk to the business. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and celebrating small milestones to ensure a successful transition.

Decreasing Distractions During the Remote Workday

Remote working has caused difficulty in separating work and life, making it easy for engineers to work long hours. To create boundaries between work and life, engineers should use a transitional space, reduce distractions from home, and create habits. Essential skills for remote workers include written communication and taking breaks.

How to Successfully Transition From Engineer to Product Leader

This article outlines the steps taken by an engineer to transition to a product manager role. These steps include expressing interest to management, investing in learning, and building a brand. The combination of these steps enabled the engineer to successfully transition to a product manager role. The article also emphasizes the importance of continuing to develop skills and knowledge once in the role.

Craft or Context?: Simplifying the Career Path

This article discusses the importance of formalizing a career path and the tools used to do so. It explains how the author used spreadsheets and professional tools to create a simplified two-pronged career path for their organization. It also explains the three dimensions of growth (scope, time frame, and size) that need to be considered when managing a career path. Finally, it highlights the success of the career path and how it was used to promote several engineers.

Embodying a Growth Mindset for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the ever-changing and complex software engineering industry and provides resources for engineers to grow their skills and mindset. It recommends podcasts, books, and hands-on experiences such as mentoring and side hustles to help engineers stay ahead of the curve. It emphasizes the importance of trust, commitment, and accountability in teams and encourages engineers to practice their craft in order to stay at the top of their game.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

This article outlines the challenges of building a team from the ground up, including finding strong talent and developing technology. It also discusses the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety and nurturing team members, both internal and external. The author emphasizes the need to focus on the culture before the technical aspects and to be in a learning mode all the time.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

After being promoted to team lead, I learned that my estimations for my team often came up short, resulting in a decrease in quality and increase in stress. To create better estimations, I implemented a process of evaluating the complexity, unknowns, and scope of the task. Additionally, I learned to understand my team members' strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement with empathy. Finally, I found that collective estimations and understanding the differences between experienced and newer team members were essential for successful estimations.

How Mentorship Enabled me To Become a Manager

A woman engineer found it difficult to transition into a managerial role despite her technical skills and experience. She took the advice of her peers and started by showing her interest in the role and volunteering to mentor junior engineers. With the help of her coworkers and the CTO, she was able to acquire the managerial position she had been hoping for. Her advice to new managers is to not handhold their juniors for too long and to not take roles that require them to code part-time.

Growing in Your Career and Becoming a Full-Stack Engineer

After working as an engineer for a long time, the author decided to pursue their passion and become a full-stack engineer. They then sought out an opportunity to be the first engineer in something, and eventually found one. Through this experience, they gained leadership experience with front-end, back-end, and dev ops teams. The author also provides advice for other engineers looking to grow, such as specializing in one field before transitioning to learn new languages and departments, and understanding how they learn best.

The Benefits of Performance Reviews and How to Carry Them Out

Performance management processes vary greatly between companies, ranging from non-existent to well-thought-out. To make performance reviews more successful, goals, feedback, and frequent check-ins should be incorporated into the process. This will help individuals achieve their potential and grow in the company, while also helping the business grow. Performance management should be a continuous process, separate from promotion and compensation conversations.

Understanding One Another: The Secret to Collaboration

As an engineering leader, it is essential to understand and know oneself and be open to diverse ideas and acceptance of differences. Having traveled to various countries and interacted with diverse cultures has been a tremendous advantage to me in the workplace. I have come to understand that cultural difference affects everyone’s unique bias and that coaching is the most remarkable practice that can help teams express their tendencies in a safe environment. To improve one’s empathy, it is important to understand before seeking to be understood, ask questions, and act humbly.

Using Documentation to Increase Efficiency in the Remote Workplace

This article discusses how to increase efficiency and productivity in a remote workplace. It suggests writing things down, onboarding for projects, and having informal communication to help build relationships. It also suggests leading by example and using engagement surveys to identify potential problems.

Making the Unpopular Decision to Focus on Stability Before New Products

As an engineering leader, the author faced a difficult decision to slow down development to focus on stability, despite pressure from stakeholders to develop new features. The author used data to measure the number of operational errors and discrepancies in time between firefighting and delivering new products, and used this data to educate stakeholders and leadership on the need to slow down development. The author also created a plan to address the root cause of the issues and negotiated a new normal to ensure a healthy split of product development and focus on paying down tech debt.

Taking Ownership of a Legacy System

This article discusses the challenges of taking over a massive system and codebase with little experience. It outlines the steps taken to audit the existing system, align with business and product, and assign clear ownership of areas. It also highlights the importance of connecting with subject matter experts, creating commitments, and understanding dependencies. Ultimately, the article provides lessons learned to help teams take over legacy systems.

How to Encourage Your Direct Reports to Do Their Best Work

A manager can create an environment where good ideas can surface and flourish by trusting their direct reports and allowing them the time and flexibility to test out their ideas. This approach worked for one lead engineer, who ended up winning a hackathon and pitching their idea to the President of the company, which was then funded and is now a substantial revenue-generating product.

Effective Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Technical and Product Leaders

When entering a new product area, the product owners and principal engineer collaborated to define the problem space and create a template for successful productization and operationalization. This collaboration also created a Venn diagram to help the team understand the difference between a good and great engineer. The engineer's research gave the product owners an understanding of the full scope, MVP approach, customer perspective, and future iterations. This modus operandi was successfully applied to other new features.

What an Engineering Manager Should Be Aware of in a SaaS-Based B2B Company

In order to survive, change, though hard, is essential. At one of the previous B2B SaaS companies, a new product executive came in and mentioned that the product needed to pivot. This required changes to be done by both Product and Engineering orgs. Navigating the discomfort across the team required educating them on the potential business impact and how crucial it is for the success of the product. Business acumen and adaptability are the keys to successful outcomes, and being flexible and adaptable to changes and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders will open up new opportunities for growth and success.

Why One-On-One Conversations Are Important and How to Make Them Efficient

One-on-one meetings are an effective way of communication between managers and their direct reports. Managers should come prepared and set a framework for the meeting, beginning with a positive note and asking how far the direct report has come with their goals. Additionally, managers should understand their team members' needs and what makes them happy to get the total productivity of the group.

Knowing When and How to Migrate From the Legacy System

In this role, the author was tasked with transitioning away from a legacy system to a newer experience. To do this, they formed a technical strategy using the strangler pattern, devised a product vision, and created a resource plan. Additionally, they solved operational challenges by breaking them down into smaller pieces and solving them iteratively. This allowed them to transition away from the legacy system in a more manageable way.

Analyzing a Problem for Real Causes and Coming to a Pragmatic Solution

This article discusses the problem of slower velocity and low productivity in a team. After analyzing the problem, the team found that context switching, duplication, and lack of resources were the main causes. To improve the situation, the team focused on improving the developer experience. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of a problem and measuring it objectively before attempting to solve it.

How an Organization Restructure can Enhance the Energy Levels & risk appetite of a Team

This article outlines how a leader restructured a team of engineers to increase innovation and productivity. The leader hired 30% more junior engineers to balance the knowledge level and energy within the team. The leader also established smaller teams of juniors and seniors to form strong relationships and foster learning. Lastly, the leader implemented a system of projects and initiatives to allow juniors to try new methods and techniques with low risk to the business. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and celebrating small milestones to ensure a successful transition.

Decreasing Distractions During the Remote Workday

Remote working has caused difficulty in separating work and life, making it easy for engineers to work long hours. To create boundaries between work and life, engineers should use a transitional space, reduce distractions from home, and create habits. Essential skills for remote workers include written communication and taking breaks.

How to Successfully Transition From Engineer to Product Leader

This article outlines the steps taken by an engineer to transition to a product manager role. These steps include expressing interest to management, investing in learning, and building a brand. The combination of these steps enabled the engineer to successfully transition to a product manager role. The article also emphasizes the importance of continuing to develop skills and knowledge once in the role.

Craft or Context?: Simplifying the Career Path

This article discusses the importance of formalizing a career path and the tools used to do so. It explains how the author used spreadsheets and professional tools to create a simplified two-pronged career path for their organization. It also explains the three dimensions of growth (scope, time frame, and size) that need to be considered when managing a career path. Finally, it highlights the success of the career path and how it was used to promote several engineers.

Embodying a Growth Mindset for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the ever-changing and complex software engineering industry and provides resources for engineers to grow their skills and mindset. It recommends podcasts, books, and hands-on experiences such as mentoring and side hustles to help engineers stay ahead of the curve. It emphasizes the importance of trust, commitment, and accountability in teams and encourages engineers to practice their craft in order to stay at the top of their game.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

This article outlines the challenges of building a team from the ground up, including finding strong talent and developing technology. It also discusses the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety and nurturing team members, both internal and external. The author emphasizes the need to focus on the culture before the technical aspects and to be in a learning mode all the time.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

After being promoted to team lead, I learned that my estimations for my team often came up short, resulting in a decrease in quality and increase in stress. To create better estimations, I implemented a process of evaluating the complexity, unknowns, and scope of the task. Additionally, I learned to understand my team members' strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement with empathy. Finally, I found that collective estimations and understanding the differences between experienced and newer team members were essential for successful estimations.

How Mentorship Enabled me To Become a Manager

A woman engineer found it difficult to transition into a managerial role despite her technical skills and experience. She took the advice of her peers and started by showing her interest in the role and volunteering to mentor junior engineers. With the help of her coworkers and the CTO, she was able to acquire the managerial position she had been hoping for. Her advice to new managers is to not handhold their juniors for too long and to not take roles that require them to code part-time.

Growing in Your Career and Becoming a Full-Stack Engineer

After working as an engineer for a long time, the author decided to pursue their passion and become a full-stack engineer. They then sought out an opportunity to be the first engineer in something, and eventually found one. Through this experience, they gained leadership experience with front-end, back-end, and dev ops teams. The author also provides advice for other engineers looking to grow, such as specializing in one field before transitioning to learn new languages and departments, and understanding how they learn best.

The Benefits of Performance Reviews and How to Carry Them Out

Performance management processes vary greatly between companies, ranging from non-existent to well-thought-out. To make performance reviews more successful, goals, feedback, and frequent check-ins should be incorporated into the process. This will help individuals achieve their potential and grow in the company, while also helping the business grow. Performance management should be a continuous process, separate from promotion and compensation conversations.

Understanding One Another: The Secret to Collaboration

As an engineering leader, it is essential to understand and know oneself and be open to diverse ideas and acceptance of differences. Having traveled to various countries and interacted with diverse cultures has been a tremendous advantage to me in the workplace. I have come to understand that cultural difference affects everyone’s unique bias and that coaching is the most remarkable practice that can help teams express their tendencies in a safe environment. To improve one’s empathy, it is important to understand before seeking to be understood, ask questions, and act humbly.

Using Documentation to Increase Efficiency in the Remote Workplace

This article discusses how to increase efficiency and productivity in a remote workplace. It suggests writing things down, onboarding for projects, and having informal communication to help build relationships. It also suggests leading by example and using engagement surveys to identify potential problems.

Making the Unpopular Decision to Focus on Stability Before New Products

As an engineering leader, the author faced a difficult decision to slow down development to focus on stability, despite pressure from stakeholders to develop new features. The author used data to measure the number of operational errors and discrepancies in time between firefighting and delivering new products, and used this data to educate stakeholders and leadership on the need to slow down development. The author also created a plan to address the root cause of the issues and negotiated a new normal to ensure a healthy split of product development and focus on paying down tech debt.

Taking Ownership of a Legacy System

This article discusses the challenges of taking over a massive system and codebase with little experience. It outlines the steps taken to audit the existing system, align with business and product, and assign clear ownership of areas. It also highlights the importance of connecting with subject matter experts, creating commitments, and understanding dependencies. Ultimately, the article provides lessons learned to help teams take over legacy systems.

How to Encourage Your Direct Reports to Do Their Best Work

A manager can create an environment where good ideas can surface and flourish by trusting their direct reports and allowing them the time and flexibility to test out their ideas. This approach worked for one lead engineer, who ended up winning a hackathon and pitching their idea to the President of the company, which was then funded and is now a substantial revenue-generating product.

Effective Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Technical and Product Leaders

When entering a new product area, the product owners and principal engineer collaborated to define the problem space and create a template for successful productization and operationalization. This collaboration also created a Venn diagram to help the team understand the difference between a good and great engineer. The engineer's research gave the product owners an understanding of the full scope, MVP approach, customer perspective, and future iterations. This modus operandi was successfully applied to other new features.

What an Engineering Manager Should Be Aware of in a SaaS-Based B2B Company

In order to survive, change, though hard, is essential. At one of the previous B2B SaaS companies, a new product executive came in and mentioned that the product needed to pivot. This required changes to be done by both Product and Engineering orgs. Navigating the discomfort across the team required educating them on the potential business impact and how crucial it is for the success of the product. Business acumen and adaptability are the keys to successful outcomes, and being flexible and adaptable to changes and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders will open up new opportunities for growth and success.

Why One-On-One Conversations Are Important and How to Make Them Efficient

One-on-one meetings are an effective way of communication between managers and their direct reports. Managers should come prepared and set a framework for the meeting, beginning with a positive note and asking how far the direct report has come with their goals. Additionally, managers should understand their team members' needs and what makes them happy to get the total productivity of the group.

Knowing When and How to Migrate From the Legacy System

In this role, the author was tasked with transitioning away from a legacy system to a newer experience. To do this, they formed a technical strategy using the strangler pattern, devised a product vision, and created a resource plan. Additionally, they solved operational challenges by breaking them down into smaller pieces and solving them iteratively. This allowed them to transition away from the legacy system in a more manageable way.

Analyzing a Problem for Real Causes and Coming to a Pragmatic Solution

This article discusses the problem of slower velocity and low productivity in a team. After analyzing the problem, the team found that context switching, duplication, and lack of resources were the main causes. To improve the situation, the team focused on improving the developer experience. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the root cause of a problem and measuring it objectively before attempting to solve it.

How an Organization Restructure can Enhance the Energy Levels & risk appetite of a Team

This article outlines how a leader restructured a team of engineers to increase innovation and productivity. The leader hired 30% more junior engineers to balance the knowledge level and energy within the team. The leader also established smaller teams of juniors and seniors to form strong relationships and foster learning. Lastly, the leader implemented a system of projects and initiatives to allow juniors to try new methods and techniques with low risk to the business. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological safety and celebrating small milestones to ensure a successful transition.

Decreasing Distractions During the Remote Workday

Remote working has caused difficulty in separating work and life, making it easy for engineers to work long hours. To create boundaries between work and life, engineers should use a transitional space, reduce distractions from home, and create habits. Essential skills for remote workers include written communication and taking breaks.

How to Successfully Transition From Engineer to Product Leader

This article outlines the steps taken by an engineer to transition to a product manager role. These steps include expressing interest to management, investing in learning, and building a brand. The combination of these steps enabled the engineer to successfully transition to a product manager role. The article also emphasizes the importance of continuing to develop skills and knowledge once in the role.

Craft or Context?: Simplifying the Career Path

This article discusses the importance of formalizing a career path and the tools used to do so. It explains how the author used spreadsheets and professional tools to create a simplified two-pronged career path for their organization. It also explains the three dimensions of growth (scope, time frame, and size) that need to be considered when managing a career path. Finally, it highlights the success of the career path and how it was used to promote several engineers.

Embodying a Growth Mindset for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the ever-changing and complex software engineering industry and provides resources for engineers to grow their skills and mindset. It recommends podcasts, books, and hands-on experiences such as mentoring and side hustles to help engineers stay ahead of the curve. It emphasizes the importance of trust, commitment, and accountability in teams and encourages engineers to practice their craft in order to stay at the top of their game.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

This article outlines the challenges of building a team from the ground up, including finding strong talent and developing technology. It also discusses the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety and nurturing team members, both internal and external. The author emphasizes the need to focus on the culture before the technical aspects and to be in a learning mode all the time.

Growing a Team and Implementing a Psychologically Safe Culture

After being promoted to team lead, I learned that my estimations for my team often came up short, resulting in a decrease in quality and increase in stress. To create better estimations, I implemented a process of evaluating the complexity, unknowns, and scope of the task. Additionally, I learned to understand my team members' strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement with empathy. Finally, I found that collective estimations and understanding the differences between experienced and newer team members were essential for successful estimations.

How Mentorship Enabled me To Become a Manager

A woman engineer found it difficult to transition into a managerial role despite her technical skills and experience. She took the advice of her peers and started by showing her interest in the role and volunteering to mentor junior engineers. With the help of her coworkers and the CTO, she was able to acquire the managerial position she had been hoping for. Her advice to new managers is to not handhold their juniors for too long and to not take roles that require them to code part-time.

Growing in Your Career and Becoming a Full-Stack Engineer

After working as an engineer for a long time, the author decided to pursue their passion and become a full-stack engineer. They then sought out an opportunity to be the first engineer in something, and eventually found one. Through this experience, they gained leadership experience with front-end, back-end, and dev ops teams. The author also provides advice for other engineers looking to grow, such as specializing in one field before transitioning to learn new languages and departments, and understanding how they learn best.

The Benefits of Performance Reviews and How to Carry Them Out

Performance management processes vary greatly between companies, ranging from non-existent to well-thought-out. To make performance reviews more successful, goals, feedback, and frequent check-ins should be incorporated into the process. This will help individuals achieve their potential and grow in the company, while also helping the business grow. Performance management should be a continuous process, separate from promotion and compensation conversations.

Understanding One Another: The Secret to Collaboration

As an engineering leader, it is essential to understand and know oneself and be open to diverse ideas and acceptance of differences. Having traveled to various countries and interacted with diverse cultures has been a tremendous advantage to me in the workplace. I have come to understand that cultural difference affects everyone’s unique bias and that coaching is the most remarkable practice that can help teams express their tendencies in a safe environment. To improve one’s empathy, it is important to understand before seeking to be understood, ask questions, and act humbly.

Using Documentation to Increase Efficiency in the Remote Workplace

This article discusses how to increase efficiency and productivity in a remote workplace. It suggests writing things down, onboarding for projects, and having informal communication to help build relationships. It also suggests leading by example and using engagement surveys to identify potential problems.

Making the Unpopular Decision to Focus on Stability Before New Products

As an engineering leader, the author faced a difficult decision to slow down development to focus on stability, despite pressure from stakeholders to develop new features. The author used data to measure the number of operational errors and discrepancies in time between firefighting and delivering new products, and used this data to educate stakeholders and leadership on the need to slow down development. The author also created a plan to address the root cause of the issues and negotiated a new normal to ensure a healthy split of product development and focus on paying down tech debt.

Taking Ownership of a Legacy System

This article discusses the challenges of taking over a massive system and codebase with little experience. It outlines the steps taken to audit the existing system, align with business and product, and assign clear ownership of areas. It also highlights the importance of connecting with subject matter experts, creating commitments, and understanding dependencies. Ultimately, the article provides lessons learned to help teams take over legacy systems.

How to Encourage Your Direct Reports to Do Their Best Work

A manager can create an environment where good ideas can surface and flourish by trusting their direct reports and allowing them the time and flexibility to test out their ideas. This approach worked for one lead engineer, who ended up winning a hackathon and pitching their idea to the President of the company, which was then funded and is now a substantial revenue-generating product.

Effective Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Technical and Product Leaders

When entering a new product area, the product owners and principal engineer collaborated to define the problem space and create a template for successful productization and operationalization. This collaboration also created a Venn diagram to help the team understand the difference between a good and great engineer. The engineer's research gave the product owners an understanding of the full scope, MVP approach, customer perspective, and future iterations. This modus operandi was successfully applied to other new features.

What an Engineering Manager Should Be Aware of in a SaaS-Based B2B Company

In order to survive, change, though hard, is essential. At one of the previous B2B SaaS companies, a new product executive came in and mentioned that the product needed to pivot. This required changes to be done by both Product and Engineering orgs. Navigating the discomfort across the team required educating them on the potential business impact and how crucial it is for the success of the product. Business acumen and adaptability are the keys to successful outcomes, and being flexible and adaptable to changes and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders will open up new opportunities for growth and success.

Why One-On-One Conversations Are Important and How to Make Them Efficient

One-on-one meetings are an effective way of communication between managers and their direct reports. Managers should come prepared and set a framework for the meeting, beginning with a positive note and asking how far the direct report has come with their goals. Additionally, managers should understand their team members' needs and what makes them happy to get the total productivity of the group.

Knowing When and How to Migrate From the Legacy System

In this role, the author was tasked with transitioning away from a legacy system to a newer experience. To do this, they formed a technical strategy using the strangler pattern, devised a product vision, and created a resource plan. Additionally, they solved operational challenges by breaking them down into smaller pieces and solving them iteratively. This allowed them to transition away from the legacy system in a more manageable way.