RUN WITH THE Big dogS™ newsletter
Volume 3, issue 23

Have you been struggling to find an engineering manager?  Perhaps a self-directed management structure is a better alternative...John

Management idea

Our client had a bad experience with finding an engineering manager. The first manager was all about control and supervision, not engineering leadership.  The second was miserable executing management tasks that kept him from designing products.

After much discussion, the client dispensed with the engineering manager and settled on a strategy of self-directed management. While the decision was an immediate hit with the engineering staff, it required a new discipline on their part. In order for the new structure to work, each engineer had to honestly report progress weekly including an updated forecast of completion dates. The team had to instigate an intense peer review process with mandatory participation. And, of course, each engineer had to have a designated corporate manager responsible for their salary and career reviews.

The organization now devoted more of the company's resources directly to product development, created better products faster because of the peer review, and increased engineer satisfaction.