This article discusses the importance of customer experience when it comes to enterprise software architecture. It outlines four key phases in the life of a startup and the corresponding architectural decisions that should be made in each phase. These phases include No Product, Minimum Viable Product, Product-Market Fit, and Growth and Scale. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the company's lifecycle in order to make the right architectural decisions. It also provides advice on how to prioritize customer feedback, use public cloud features, and develop a DevOps process.

Plato

Ian Yamey

CTO at QuadPay

Hiring Rapidly and Time Efficiently

This article outlines the steps taken to rapidly hire engineers while maintaining quality. The author front-loaded the design, coordination, and preparation of the hiring funnel, set up hiring teams, and treated the hiring process as a product. Three metrics were used to measure success: percentage of hires from referrals, time taken to make a decision, and face-to-face interviews to hire ratio. The author also reduced the interviewing process to four hours and in one session. Lessons learned include the importance of treating the hiring process as a product, not letting quality fall to the wayside, and understanding that every hiring process is unique.

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Alexandra Sobhani

Engineering Manager at Google

Gaining Team Respect as a New Manager

A new engineering manager was not receiving the same respect as the other manager who had started two weeks prior. The new manager took a 'listen first' attitude, which was seen as inferior by some of the engineers. To gain the trust of the team, the manager stayed loyal to them and put their foot down on executive orders. The manager also learned that it would have been smarter to come in with a plan and communicate more frequently with the team.

Plato

Sophia Broomfield

Product Management Coach at Coaching PM Leaders

Adopting Agile by Piloting Projects

The product director of a new company identified three challenges: inexperienced product management team, lack of true Agile processes, and lack of flexibility from the dev team. To address these issues, the director championed the adoption of a true Agile methodology, trained the team, and implemented a steering committee to ensure progress. Pilot projects were used to prove the effectiveness of the approach, and the results were shared with the rest of the dev organization. The successful rollout of Agile resulted in improved product quality, flexibility, and collaboration.

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VMK Peddinti

Director of Engineering at Instacart

Team Development Framework for new managers

When transitioning from an Individual Contributor to a Manager, it can feel overwhelming. This post focuses on the mindset shift needed to better utilize the advice available for new Managers. The key difference between the two roles is the core action (Developing code vs. Developing team) and how it is done (high quality vs. high engagement). Managers must have a core set of skills such as building trust, active listening, decision-making, and emotional intelligence. Despite having the development framework and required skills, being a Manager is still hard due to the high cost of being wrong, solutions not always being logical, and non-determinism.

Plato

Kiran Chitluri

Engineering Manager and Leadership Coach at Google

Lessons Learned from a Broken Relationship with a Manager

After a disagreement with his manager over the hiring process, the narrator's relationship with his manager deteriorated and eventually ended when his manager left the company. Through this experience, the narrator learned the importance of assuming good intentions, aligning values and strengths with the company culture, and having a structured outlook when interviewing or deciding to work with a team or organization. He also realized that staying in a position at a company because of a good manager is just as important as leaving a manager, not a company.

Plato

Julius Uy

Chief Technology Officer at Zillearn

Preventing Engineering Turnover

This article discusses how to retain software engineers, especially in smaller companies, in the face of competition from larger companies. The author's approach was to focus on creating a company culture of psychological safety, lightheartedness, empathy, autonomy, and transparency. This approach was successful in retaining talent, and the author believes that engineers often look beyond financial compensation when deciding on a company.

Plato

Aanchal Jain

Senior Engineering Manager at Quantcast

Staying Technical While Growing As a Manager

The engineer in this article emphasizes the importance of staying technical as a manager. He recommends blocking off time in the calendar to perfect and propel technical skills, and getting into the trenches by participating in design and brainstorming sessions. He also encourages intellectual engagement with the team, such as discussing and exchanging arguments, in order to stay technical. Ultimately, the engineer emphasizes that staying technical is essential for a well-rounded manager, and will earn respect from the team.

Plato

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Sarah Duitsman

Empathetic engineering leader with a knack for process

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Latest Stories

Limor Bergman Gross

Executive Coach at LBG Consulting Service Ltd

Navigating the Challenges of Transitioning to an Engineering Manager Role

Transitioning to an engineering manager role comes with its own set of challenges, but by being strategic, building relationships, and advocating for oneself, success can be achieved. It is important to proactively plan one's career and advocate for personal growth and development. Building relationships with key stakeholders and finding allies within the organization can greatly help in advocating for oneself and influencing change. Understanding the motivations of others and aligning interests can also aid in gaining support for ideas. If promotion opportunities are limited, focusing on expanding responsibilities and taking on more challenging tasks can showcase potential for future growth. Seeking out mentors within the organization can provide guidance and support throughout the career transition process. Overall, being proactive, building relationships, and advocating for oneself are key to navigating the challenges of transitioning to an engineering manager role.

Plato

Harsha Shekar

Senior Engineering Manager at Atlassian

Effective Metrics for Engineering Teams

This article explores the topic of effective metrics for engineering teams. It discusses the importance of metrics in evaluating team performance, the different types of metrics that can be used, and the challenges associated with their use. The article also suggests leveraging personality tests and establishing clear role definitions to improve collaboration and provide guidance for team members. By using metrics in a fair and unbiased manner and implementing these strategies, engineering teams can enhance their performance and achieve their goals more effectively.

Plato

Burag Cetinkaya

Sr. Engineering Manager at LinkedIn | ex-Instagram at LinkedIn

Managers or Messengers?

The text discusses the frustration of seeing managers act as messengers between their team and upper management, and encourages engineering managers to seek more accountability and decision-making authority. It suggests asking four questions to determine if one is merely a communication channel, and advises managers to take on additional areas of true management to improve the situation. The text also advises directors and VPs of Engineering to delegate more responsibility in order to focus on higher-level tasks.

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Vladimir Baranov

CIO/COO at SCOUT Space Inc

How to enter the field of software development after a bootcamp?

The text discusses the challenges faced by a recent coding bootcamp graduate in finding a job in the software industry. It emphasizes the importance of reducing the risk for potential employers and suggests several strategies to improve the situation. These strategies include building a personal brand and recognition through networking, updating resumes and online profiles to highlight relevant skills, and focusing on projects that showcase experience in a specific area. The text also suggests participating in hackathons, working on side projects, volunteering for charities or political campaigns, and exploring opportunities in start-up incubators. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of researching potential employers and demonstrating good communication and timeliness skills. Finally, it advises finding the right fit between the job seeker and the employer.

Plato

CD (Chris Dolezalek)

EVP, R&D at Hum Capital, Inc

Making New Hires Effective Quickly

This article discusses the importance of assigning a mentor or "buddy" to new hires in a fast-growing startup. It also outlines the concept of "Leave a Trace," which is a practice of having new hires improve the new hire process. The article further discusses the importance of fostering a growth mindset and having a well-defined spin-up process. It also provides links to various resources related to developer productivity.

Plato

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