Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - coder to "coder+manager" sortof.. half career half social question

Richard_Todd · 12-19-2006, 07:03 PM

I think you maybe should change your persective a bit. Instead of looking at all the questions as interruptions, maybe you should start seeing them as your job! I don't know any details, so I'll just have to talk in generalities, and hope this helps you (or at least, someone!)

I've been a software manager for teams of 3 people all the way up to 60 people, on budgets of anywhere from $300k to $50million. I was also a promoted code-junkie, initially (writing code is still my favorite hobby). I tried it both ways, and in every case it was by far easier to just give up on the notion that you'll both code and manage.

You have a real advantage right now, if you grab it. You still remember what it was like to be a coder. Write down everything you can remember, about what made you happy on the job, and unhappy. What did you want (training? more flexible hours? someone to deflect common user questions?)? As a manager, you may start to see more and more of the reasons the things you want were so hard to get. But, you may be able to make life a lot better for your team, while you still have the right perspective. Believe me, five years of management tends to make you forget!

Being a good manager is tougher than it seems. You have to balance a lot more conflicting goals than you do when you are coding. This means, often you face situations where you will make someone mad, no matter what you do. Usually, a coder in that situation will do what makes himself look best, but a manager should really do the opposite. In the end, you will look good if your team looks good.

If you have trouble with estimating budgets and schedules, you will improve at it over time if you pay attention. There's really no way to sit down and "learn" that stuff. In my opinion, the best thing for a new manager to focus on is spotting and removing obstacles from your team's path, before your team even knows they are there. Write it on a sticky note, and make sure you read it at least once a day. "What will my team need next week/month?" Coders and managers that fight fires often get some fame for it, while the best managers often get less attention because they prevent the fires. It sucks, but in the end the results will speak for themselves.

So, instead of stealing an hour to write some code... maybe steal an hour to write some coding standards for them to follow (if they are asking a lot of questions about that stuff, or if you see that their code is all over the place). Or, making sure the room is reserved for that demo. Or finding a way to get Joe some help without making him feel threatened. Fight your superiors to allocate some money to training. You are right that, the more independent you can make you team, the easier your job will get. But, schedules and budgets sometimes mean you have to just slog through it until it happens natuarally.

(lastly, make sure a manager is actually what you want to be... if you try it for too long, it can be hard to go back in some companies... if you are good at it, anyway...)

12-19-2006, 07:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
Richard_Todd Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dallas, TX USA Posts: 76	I think you maybe should change your persective a bit. Instead of looking at all the questions as interruptions, maybe you should start seeing them as your job! I don't know any details, so I'll just have to talk in generalities, and hope this helps you (or at least, someone!) I've been a software manager for teams of 3 people all the way up to 60 people, on budgets of anywhere from $300k to $50million. I was also a promoted code-junkie, initially (writing code is still my favorite hobby). I tried it both ways, and in every case it was by far easier to just give up on the notion that you'll both code and manage. You have a real advantage right now, if you grab it. You still remember what it was like to be a coder. Write down everything you can remember, about what made you happy on the job, and unhappy. What did you want (training? more flexible hours? someone to deflect common user questions?)? As a manager, you may start to see more and more of the reasons the things you want were so hard to get. But, you may be able to make life a lot better for your team, while you still have the right perspective. Believe me, five years of management tends to make you forget! Being a good manager is tougher than it seems. You have to balance a lot more conflicting goals than you do when you are coding. This means, often you face situations where you will make someone mad, no matter what you do. Usually, a coder in that situation will do what makes himself look best, but a manager should really do the opposite. In the end, you will look good if your team looks good. If you have trouble with estimating budgets and schedules, you will improve at it over time if you pay attention. There's really no way to sit down and "learn" that stuff. In my opinion, the best thing for a new manager to focus on is spotting and removing obstacles from your team's path, before your team even knows they are there. Write it on a sticky note, and make sure you read it at least once a day. "What will my team need next week/month?" Coders and managers that fight fires often get some fame for it, while the best managers often get less attention because they prevent the fires. It sucks, but in the end the results will speak for themselves. So, instead of stealing an hour to write some code... maybe steal an hour to write some coding standards for them to follow (if they are asking a lot of questions about that stuff, or if you see that their code is all over the place). Or, making sure the room is reserved for that demo. Or finding a way to get Joe some help without making him feel threatened. Fight your superiors to allocate some money to training. You are right that, the more independent you can make you team, the easier your job will get. But, schedules and budgets sometimes mean you have to just slog through it until it happens natuarally. (lastly, make sure a manager is actually what you want to be... if you try it for too long, it can be hard to go back in some companies... if you are good at it, anyway...)