Engineering Management Basics

Where do we start from?

2 min readJul 4, 2024

As I have recently managed teams and managers, one common situation I have encountered has been how to help engineers transition into management.

While some companies provide management training in the sense that they teach how to manage people and management responsibilities, there isn’t much support for how an engineer, who until recently was only focused on their work as an individual contributor (IC), should think about leading a team of people towards impactful results.

First day as an Engineering Manager (Canva)

In this situation, I have tried to avoid training people in everything because, when it comes to engineering leadership positions, everything is impossible to cover.

Engineering management is a complex role, and it will take years for someone to master it fully. Beyond the inherent complexities of the role, leadership can be approached from multiple perspectives, and each manager ends up developing their strengths and style with time and experience. There is truly no single way to be a successful engineering leader.

Instead, when helping ICs transition to management, I have focused on introducing the basics of engineering management. That’s because the basics will:

Provide the manager a structure to apply to their role initially, creating more stability and space for them to learn.
Create stability in the team, avoiding initial problems and crises that could destabilize and complicate the manager’s role.
Provide guidelines and principles the manager can apply to everyday situations, improving their chance of success.

The content of these lessons is what this series is about. This is not an exhaustive list of all you need to know to become a successful EM, but it’s hopefully a solid place to start. This is also not the only way to approach the role, but an opinionated perspective on how to do it.

Ultimately, this is trying to be a set of no-nonsense guidelines for positively starting an engineering management career, enabling leaders to develop their style over time.

I hope you enjoy it! And please send your feedback and opinions my way.