Communication

Engineering Teams Run as a Product Organization

This article discusses the experience of transitioning from a consumer web application to enterprise software, and the difficulty of connecting to the business value. The author took action by retraining their mind to think like a product organization, hiring a technical program manager, and implementing product metrics and a feature prioritization framework. As a result, the engineering teams were able to build customer-facing products and create a revenue-generating feature in less than a month. The author learned that product and engineering should be under one organization, and that having a product-minded engineering leader will result in better products.

A New Manager In Singapore

After being inspired by a story about Jessica McKellar, the author decided to become a manager at their company. However, due to cultural differences and a lack of mentors, they struggled to find the right resources and approaches to management. To overcome this, they reached out to mentors in Singapore and joined tech leadership communities to learn from other managers. Ultimately, the author learned that transitioning to a management role requires brushing up on business and management skills and that the effects of changes may not be seen for some time.

How Metrics Can Help to “Disagree and Commit”

My company decided to differentiate from the competition by focusing on a five-star renter experience, introducing a customer service call center. However, this strategy didn't make sense for a few reasons. As head of engineering, I took a “disagree and commit” stance and used data to show the leadership team that the extra layer of interaction we forced on our renters was not helpful for the business. This allowed us to pivot company strategy while maintaining or improving relationships with other leaders in the company. I learned the true meaning of “disagree and commit” and the importance of engineering playing an important part in setting business and product vision.

Using Tiger Teams to Solve Problems and Create an Environment for Learning

Place Exchange Engineering experienced an increase in traffic that caused strain on one of their services critical to ad serving. To solve the problem, a tiger team was assembled to investigate the root cause and come up with short and long term solutions. The team communicated through Slack and had a weekly video conference. After the three week period, the team had identified metrics to be created/updated, quick wins, and long term proposals. The team also learned lessons about having the right people to solve the project, setting clear expectations, and creating an environment of learning.

What to Expect When Transitioning From an Individual Contributor to a Manager

A small company was growing quickly and the director of engineering offered the narrator a manager role. The narrator accepted, but wanted to make sure their team was comfortable with the transition. After being promoted, the narrator struggled with delegating tasks to their former team members. The narrator learned that it is important to involve the team in the transition, to expect no immediate results, and to connect with peers to avoid feeling isolated.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.