Engineering manager
- for
- Ticmas
- when
- 2024
- Problem
- Two teams and a stakeholder gap.
- My contribution
- Proposed merging teams and a stakeholder squad with product, sales and content leadership.
- Delivered
- Managed 15 direct reports (1 QA, 2 designers, 12 developers), Apr–Nov 2024. Developed and sponsored two official Staff promotions.
- Result
- Managed a merged team of 15 and sponsored two official Staff promotions.
- Status
- production · 2024
15direct reports in the merged team, Apr–Nov 2024
Product-based learning team
Curricular team
no shared way to manage demand
- product
- sales
- content
one team · 15
1 QA
2 designers
12 developers
- product
- sales
- content
a stakeholder squad with product, sales and content leadership
demand
Capacity first, then what to say yes to
- 1Capacity and prioritiesI established what the team could carry and set quarterly priorities, so requests stopped arriving without a way to weigh them.
- 2A new format mid-migrationContent leadership wanted a new format during a migration under a budget constraint. I deferred the full implementation to the next quarter.
- 3A spike in the meantimeI offered myself and one engineer for a preparatory spike and design, and negotiated the tradeoff with commercial and product stakeholders.
- 4Standards delegatedFrontend standards went to a Staff reference, who presented them to the team.
promotions
Two Staff promotions, with the Head of Engineering
- Two official Staff promotionsI developed and sponsored them, with level and compensation changes after calibration.
- ApprovalThe Head of Engineering retained final approval.
limits
Team authority is not business authority
Decisions needed agreement across product, commercial, engineering and content. I led the team, not those decisions alone. There is no quantified effect of the merge itself.
ownership
Who did what, and when
- tech leadproposed the merge
- merged teamApr 2024
- engineering manager15 direct reports
- two Staff promotions
- MeProposed the merge; managed staffing, 1:1s, performance, budget and promotions
- Head of EngineeringApproved staffing, budget and promotions
- Product, sales and content leadershipJoined the stakeholder squad; shared the decisions
- A Staff referenceOwned frontend standards and presented them to the team
- Merge effectNot measured
What shipped
A merged team of 15, and two official Staff promotions.
Head of Engineering approval; no quantified effect of the merge- Managed 15 direct reports in the merged team, Apr–Nov 2024: one QA, two designers and twelve developers.
- Two official Staff promotions, with level and compensation changes.
Method and caveats
Team composition is my own account; there are no personnel records.
- Team composition: my own account; there are no personnel records
- Promotions: final approval stayed with the Head of Engineering
- No quantified effect of the merge is claimed