The Jump To Management

[LokutusofBorg]

The jump to management is something most developers have to consider at some point in their career, and it's before me right now. I've been reading Michael Lopp's book Being Geek and it's given me a lot of insight, and has me asking questions of myself I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

One of the main points in his book is that a person's career in technology (software) is always management -- you're either managing bits or you're managing people. This has always been the huge hurdle in my mind with the "jump" to management: you have to give up coding, which I love, so I don't want to do it. But I'm fairly sure I'd be a good manager (at least an *OK* manager) and I've had sooooo many really bad managers that that is a compelling reason in itself.

Anyway, I realized a while ago that I've had a lot of mid-level managers that didn't actually give up coding altogether to become managers. They led a team or multiple teams, but still spent part of their time coding. So a while ago my official title became Development Manager. I don't have all the duties/responsibilities of a typical "manager" at this point, but we have a lot of management flux going on right now (new President, and she's firing and hiring senior managers) so there's some room for me to really consider this decision, and either commit to the management track or settle back down into a pure engineering position and just focus on that.

I don't know much about typical management structure in mid-sized companies, so I was wondering if you all would share what you think the typical management reporting chain is for a software engineer in a mid-size company (50 to 5000 employees).

Does this seem right? (Titles aren't important, I'm just trying to clarify Role and the number of levels with this.)

Grunt > Lead > Manager > Director > VP > CxO > Board/Owner

And lastly, how high can you go in the management chain and still reasonably expect to retain some of the grunt duties? Or at least participate in things at that level?

 

[Oyster]

First of all, I'd like to know what kind of management roles are you talking about? You mentioned Dev Manager, but there are quite a few other roles. Examples include Project Managers, Program Managers, Product Managers, Account Managers, etc. Conventionally, Dev Managers are relegated to R&D departments. But then so are Product Managers. Depending on your organization, these roles may be lateral or hierarchical, in which case a Dev Manager may be promoted to a Product Manager.

It really depends on your organization structure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_structure

A lot of tech shops (mid-sized) are setup as matrix structures because of the project-oriented nature of the work - your resources are reporting to their immediate managers, but they're also connected via a "dotted line" to the corresponding project managers. Meaning, they get pulled in multiple directions. If you're in such an environment, things can get messy when it comes time to do annual reviews and rewards. If you're in a matrix structure, your growth really depends on how the organization wants you to evolve (at that juncture you have the option of two paths).

If it matters, I can relate to your role. I was a developer, am still a quasi-developer, but I'm officially (if titles matter) a project manager. I'm mostly managing people and projects, but I still have a lot of code that I worked on which I help support. And then there are days when I am also doing marketing, product management, and resource management. Once you get to that point, you're generating fewer and fewer lines of code . In my case, I really wish to grow into a leadership role, so getting my hands dirty with accounting, support, finance, HR, and marketing is actually enticing.

If you aspire to grow beyond the managerial level, you'll need to get down and dirty with finances, budgets, and accounts. Which really means you'll need to know things like reading financial statements, doing P&L reports, and managing project portfolios. If all these things don't excite you, and really, if programming is your passion, then I'd stay with programming. Please remember that once you've spent years at the managerial level, it will be hard to go back to programming (unless, of course, you're a superhuman and can juggle management and keep up with the technical advances, all at the same time)!

 

[Markbnj]

This is an interesting question. Basically you're going to take a path based on your ambitions, your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities you're offered.

One path is the practicing technologist: the programmer, tool and die maker, biologist, physician, etc. If your primary ambition is not money then at least you'll have low stress and stay off of planes. You can cruise along making a nice living or shoot for the top of your profession and do pretty damn well.

Another is the entrepreneur/innovator: the Google/Groupon/Facebook model. If your primary ambition doesn't include the certainty of a paycheck this can be a lot of fun, and is really the only way to the megayacht, private plane, and front-row seating at Davos.

Then there's the corporate ladder. The usual path would be: developer, team lead, project or development manager, director of something technical, VP of something tech related, SVP of who gives a shit, and the ta da! job of CIO/CTO or _possibly_ CEO. I say _possibly_ CEO because to be honest, those jobs usually go to the polo shirt-wearing golfing set that all know each other from B-school reunions, but you might overcome that if you take up golf, wear polo shirts, and get an MBA.

It's a difficult choice. I'll help. Pick the person you are below...

[] I'm introverted, don't much like people, get really antsy at long meetings, and can't imagine spending an entire Saturday playing golf.

Stay a developer, always be up on the latest stuff, and maybe write a cool program and make a mint like the Skype guys. But then we both know that ain't happening. The top shot here is probably a well-paid consultant who sets his own hours.

[] Programming is fine for now, but I also like speaking in front of groups and making decisions. I'm charming and look good in a suit. I used to play a sport. I never get upset. I don't like risk.

You're upper management material. Take the first opportunity to start moving up the ladder and getting your rewards. As noted above you can make it to CEO on this track and have a couple hundred million to play with, and that ain't rabbit chow. You will be allowed to hang with plutocrats and they will often listen to you.

[] Programming is fine for now, but I also like speaking in front of groups and making decisions. I'm charming and look good in a suit. I used to play a sport. I get pissed when stupid people waste my time. I'd bet the whole company on something I dreamed last night.

You may be an entrepreneur. This path has a 97% chance of leading to heartbreak and failure. Don't do it unless a) you can't help it; or b) it happens accidentally. If either of those things are true, and you hit big, then you hit really big. Congratulations, you've made it into the plutocracy and your progeny are guaranteed membership out to three generations.

Good luck!

 

[LokutusofBorg]

Great feedback guys, thanks.

My primary thinking at this point is I don't want to give up coding. But our team needs some management that a senior manager can't provide, so I am willing to step up and do it.

So I guess my main question is how high up the management chain do I need to have in mind as the limit? Can a Director position generally still work alongside the team(s) he oversees? Or is this just something that is worked out situationally with my boss?

In case it wasn't clear in my first post, our CTO got fired, and a new one is starting soon, and I will report directly to him. One of the big issues to work out is will all my peers report to him or me. I am "officially" (titles mean little, I know) the Development Manager, but I have no direct reports. We're still a fairly small company, if that helps (< 100 employees total).

 

[degibson]

In my book, leadership and management are two different, albeit related, things. Sometimes they come from the same person (i.e., lead/manager), sometimes they come from different people (lead + manager) -- of course, a lot depends on your company.

 

[Oyster]

[] Programming is fine for now, but I also like speaking in front of groups and making decisions. I'm charming and look good in a suit. I used to play a sport. I never get upset. I don't like risk.

You're upper management material. Take the first opportunity to start moving up the ladder and getting your rewards. As noted above you can make it to CEO on this track and have a couple hundred million to play with, and that ain't rabbit chow. You will be allowed to hang with plutocrats and they will often listen to you.

I agree with almost everything Mark said except the bolded sentence. Business, in essence, is the undertaking of some risky endeavor to realize profits. At the managerial level, you feel the pressure to demonstrate some black numbers. At the same time, you have the discretion to make decisions without input from your superiors. Accordingly, all your actions have consequences, and ultimately, the risk increases. These effects are exacerbated as the company grows, especially so at the public-level. You can't be, in most cases, a good manager unless you're willing to undertake some risk.

It is also extremely humbling to find out that you can get fired for someone else's actions. Let me say that again: you can get fired for someone else's actions. Once you're at the managerial level, you'll soon find out that you have all the authority in the world, but zero freedom and control. There are those who micromanage, but those are the same bosses you and I whine about.

If you make the jump, you'll be undertaking more risk and giving up coding, albeit making more money (hopefully). If you're a small firm, talk to your new CTO - if he/she is OK with you juggling multiple priorities, you may not have to give up coding. A lot of times people don't communicate, and that's how they end up missing out on opportunities.

Ultimately, I can't emphasize enough that you will be coding fewer and fewer lines as you move up the chain. Since you're a small firm, you may get lucky because people are expected to wear multiple hats in order to save some cash.

 

[SearchMaster]

One of the main points in his book is that a person's career in technology (software) is always management -- you're either managing bits or you're managing people.

I disagree with this statement. Managing computer software and managing people are two completely different concepts and skill sets.

I made the jump from developer to manager a few years ago after almost 15 years as a software engineer. As you get higher in the chain you described (which matches my company's organization), you do less and less development work. I've also found that I miss it less and less as time goes on.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

I disagree with this statement. Managing computer software and managing people are two completely different concepts and skill sets.

I made the jump from developer to manager a few years ago after almost 15 years as a software engineer. As you get higher in the chain you described (which matches my company's organization), you do less and less development work. I've also found that I miss it less and less as time goes on.

I don't think his statement is at odds with what you're saying. He doesn't make the point that they're the same kind of management, just that working with code is management in a sense. It was a lead-in to the thought that you can move from managing technical things like bits to managing people, and there are some core similarities at a very high level.

 

[KentState]

I work in a smaller company (200 people) and anything past the team lead level is less than 25&#37; grunt work. I personally like management and getting into the strategic planning for a company. Currently, we are evaluating our web platform. Having the time an ability to research and work with vendors is much more fun than banging away on the keyboard all day. Yes, I still am actively engaged in grunt work, but that's until I decide to hire others into my group.

 

[Markbnj]

I work in a smaller company (200 people) and anything past the team lead level is less than 25% grunt work. I personally like management and getting into the strategic planning for a company. Currently, we are evaluating our web platform. Having the time an ability to research and work with vendors is much more fun than banging away on the keyboard all day. Yes, I still am actively engaged in grunt work, but that's until I decide to hire others into my group.

If you feel like programming is grunt work, that is a pretty good indication that it's time to move up the ladder .

 

[KentState]

If you feel like programming is grunt work, that is a pretty good indication that it's time to move up the ladder .

Agreed.