Thread by @ramannoodlez

How technical do you need to be to be an Engineering Manager?

Most people will tell you VERY.

I think not. You can be an avg engineer + a great EM. In fact, if you’re too technical of a manager it could hurt you.

Speaking as a software engineer turned manager, here’s why:

Engineering Managers’ primary responsibilities are two-fold:

1. Steer engineers to build the right things
2. Retain, hire + promote engineers

Let’s dig into the skill set you need for each one.

To build the right things, you need to know:

- the problem it’s solving
- system capabilities + blockers
- how the user will interact w it

Do you need to be extremely technical to do this? Absolutely not!

You need a *good enough* understanding of the tech. What does this mean?

Deeply know the system architecture (data flow, limitations, use cases) + data models, specifically what your team owns + integrates with.

Maybe even poke around the code for better understanding.

But if you go beyond that you’re stepping on your engineers’ toes.

Spend majority of your time on clearing blockers for your devs. This means:

- Clarify requirements + set tech limitations w PM
- Get the right people to provide design feedback + support
- Help coordinate QA + launch

Let devs do what they do best — code!

Now, building the team

This will take up most of an EM’s time between keeping the team happy, hiring for open roles + promoting folks.

Not to mention dealing w poor performers.

How do you do this well? You have to invest in your people.

For each person, figure out:

- What problems + areas they like to work on
- What they avoid
- How they best communicate + work w others
- What idea/area they want to work on next
- What role they want next

Between these two priorities you will be busy with a lot of coordination, meetings + writing.

It’s opposite of an engineer’s day, which is why most engineers hate being an EM 😉

But also, just bc you’re not the best engineer doesn’t mean you won’t be a great EM!

If this was interesting or helpful to you, please retweet 🙏🏽

For a helpful + free 1:1 Agenda template, check out: mitraraman.gumroad.com/l/11agenda