Engineering Managers play a crucial role in technology organizations, yet their responsibilities often remain ambiguous. Clarifying these roles helps prevent misunderstandings that arise from differing interpretations of the title. The article introduces five common archetypes of Engineering Managers, serving as a conversation starter to establish a shared understanding of their responsibilities. Breakdown of Contents: - Distinction between Tech Leads and Engineering Managers. - Exploration of five Engineering Manager archetypes. - Importance of clarity in role definitions to avoid misunderstandings. - The commonality of misinterpretations due to fluidity in the Engineering Manager role. - Encouragement to use archetypes as a tool for discussion and alignment in teams.
This article matters for Engineering Leaders as it clarifies the often ambiguous role of Engineering Managers by outlining five distinct archetypes, which can help prevent misunderstandings within teams. An actionable takeaway is to use these archetypes as a conversation starter to foster a shared understanding of responsibilities among team members.
“There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things.”— Phil Karlton
Introduction
In today’s tech organisations, you find 2 types of technical leadership roles in teams – Tech Leads and Engineering Managers. Tech Leads are better defined with The Definition of a Tech Lead but the Engineering Manager (EM) role remains unclear. In this article, we will explore 5 Engineering Manager archetypes commonly found in the industry.
A frequently asked question, “What’s an Engineering Manager?”
Use These Archetypes as a Conversation Starter
The fluidity of the Engineering Manager role leads to too many misunderstandings. It is easy to have a misunderstanding when two people attach different meanings to the same word. A role a is useful shorthand for the set of responsibilities attached to it. But only when people have a share a common understanding.
