Manager Archives - LDNDeveloper

Navigating the Challenges of Engineering Projects: A Guide for Business Leaders

I have been reviewing project efficiencies from the past to see where I was successful and where I was less successful. In addition, I have been studying for my Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma certification, and now I am trying to apply some of what I have learned to past roles and projects. Sometimes, a smaller continuous change approach ( Kaizen) is required, as personalities sometimes resist change from historical practices. Smaller continuous changes may take too long to see results, but sometimes, the only option is to work within your box ( try-try-again as much as you can ).

Let’s Talk About It…

A Comprehensive Guide for Support Managers

Introduction

Being a new support manager or suddenly finding yourself responsible for the success of a support team is a little unnerving. There are plenty of resources online, but here is a summary of things I have learned while running a support team. I hope everyone else finds this helpful. Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn with your questions or concerns or even to be mentored; I love meeting new friends.

Balancing Onshore and Offshore Engineering Teams

Introduction

In today’s globalized world, many companies leverage onshore and offshore engineering teams to optimize resources and maximize productivity. However, striking a balance between these teams and ensuring their success can be challenging. As a VP of Engineering, I’ve learned a few strategies that can help.

Balancing Onshore and Offshore Teams

Clear Communication: Establish clear communication channels and regular meetings across all teams. This ensures everyone is aligned with the company’s goals and objectives.
Defined Roles: Clearly define each team’s roles and responsibilities. This helps avoid confusion and task overlap.
Cultural Sensitivity: Understand and respect the cultural differences within your teams. This fosters a positive working environment.

Crafting a Successful Software Development Roadmap – A Guide for Product Managers

Introduction

As a product manager, one of your key responsibilities is creating and managing the software development roadmap. This strategic document serves as the guiding light for your development team, outlining your product’s vision, direction, and priorities over time. But how can you ensure your roadmap succeeds with developers and the business? This blog post explores best practices for planning, engaging, measuring, reviewing, and communicating your software development roadmap.

5 Essential Elements for a Successful Software Roadmap

Creating a successful software roadmap is akin to charting a course for a ship. It guides the team toward their goals, ensuring they stay on track and reach their destination. For engineers, a well-crafted roadmap is essential to meet targets efficiently. Let’s explore the five key elements that contribute to a successful software roadmap:

Andrew Pallant – A Strategic Leader in Engineering

Introduction

In the dynamic landscape of technology, effective leadership is crucial for driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and achieving organizational goals. As a Vice President of Engineering, I have had the privilege of witnessing Andrew Pallant’s remarkable journey—a journey that exemplifies technical excellence, strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to customer success. In this article, we’ll explore Andrew’s impact, his role in shaping engineering teams, and the principles that guide his leadership.

Why a Process is Important

A Software Development Perspective

A process is important as it creates an expectation of an outcome. Outcomes can measure a process and result in different ways making the process essential to follow. Without a strategy, we will not confidently be able to measure. Without measurement, we will not know we are doing something correctly.

Developer Engagement

I was throwing ideas around in how to increase our developer engagement. I was also thinking of a way to give our product development a little boost. I love the developers that I work with and would like to support their passions and boost their care for their jobs.

One idea I had was to take a day or two a month and let developers work on a pet project. The only caveat was that the pet project had to be related to the company somehow. Continue reading Developer Engagement

Keeping a Cool Head

Recent events at work caused 3 days of fire fighting to keep systems going. It was a lot of work and was not easy. Stress levels were at an all-time high. While showing the rest of the staff that I was dedicated to fixing the issues, I managed to keep a cool head and work systematically. It’s not easy to keep a cool head, but a lot more problems can occur if you do not. We had one incident when I was in a meeting, a mistake was made that cost me a loss of 2 hours and it could have been prevented by pausing for a second. Continue reading Keeping a Cool Head

New Project or Team Manager – First Two Weeks

There are plenty of tasks a person could do in their first two weeks as a new Project or Team Manager. I have isolated some of the more important tasks that need to be addressed in the first two weeks of starting the new position. Mind you these can vary depending on the size of team and the discussions with your new superior.

Discuss your role and management styles with new superior. Ensure you are both on the same page.
Become intimate with company policies
Get to know everyone on the team including their name, responsibilities
and what they have done in the past
Review all project descriptions and time lines
Find out what each team member is currently working on and where they are in the time lines
Compare where each team member is at on the time lines with the actual time line
Discuss progress with My Boss
Team Meeting
- discuss priorities
- discuss what everyone’s expectation is.
- discuss what I expect of them
- ideas to get the projects back on track
- look for team suggestions
Discuss progress with my superior
Meet with each member
- – discuss where they are in the project
- – together figure out how to advance in a more efficient way
- – set some realistic goals
Discuss progress with my superior