Sprint Cadence

Managing a Team While on Leave

Managing a team while on leave can be challenging, but with the right strategies, it is possible to maintain productivity. One key tip is to find a suitable deputy who can handle responsibilities in your absence, while also considering the impact of promoting someone from within the team. It is important to ensure stability by keeping the team focused on current projects and communicating with stakeholders about the absence of an escalation path. Measuring success can be done through metrics such as the number of bugs found and fixed, customer satisfaction, and feedback from stakeholders. Stand-ups and team meetings can be conducted either by embedding team members with specific development teams or by having regular meetings to discuss progress and challenges. Fostering creativity within the team can be achieved by creating opportunities for knowledge sharing and challenging each other. Overall, effective communication and careful planning are essential for managing a team while on leave.

Building a Culture of Innovation: Tips for Engineering Leaders

This article discusses the importance of building a culture of innovation within engineering teams and provides tips for engineering leaders to cultivate such an environment. One of the challenges faced by engineering teams is accurately estimating effort and capacity for projects, which is often due to the lack of detailed specifications. To address this, it is suggested to find a balance between setting clear priorities and allowing flexibility in the planning process. Reevaluating effort and capacity as more information becomes available and establishing a quarterly cadence for meetings and reviews are also recommended. By implementing these strategies, engineering leaders can foster a culture of innovation and drive success within their teams.

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.

Implementing Continuous Delivery in Engineering Teams

Continuous delivery is a practice that involves the frequent and automated release of software updates, offering benefits such as quick feedback, increased collaboration, and frequent software releases. However, it also presents challenges such as the need for a robust testing infrastructure and effective release management. To successfully implement continuous delivery, engineering teams should focus on automation, collaboration, testing, and release management. By addressing these challenges and following best practices, teams can improve their software development processes and deliver value to users more efficiently.

Checking For Values Alignment When Considering a New Role

In this article, the author discusses their experience with values misalignment with senior leadership in a previous role. They emphasize the importance of understanding and prioritizing your values when considering a new role, and suggest asking questions in the interview process to ensure that the company's values align with yours. They also discuss the difference between intentional and unintentional misalignment, and how to address each.