What to expect as a manager in software company
The blog brings out a view of what managers face in a software company.
The blog is curated for new managers or first time managers. Those who are experienced in management can still read this blog and provide inputs on your experiences for the points that are mentioned.
For an individual who has decided to take a leap into management role, there is always ambiguity on what is going to happen. The reason is, there are many failure stories written rather than success stories.
In this blog, I will unravel the situation that managers face in a software company. These are my experiences and it could vary from company to company.
#1 Pressure
The pressure of getting work completed will vary from company to company.
A manager is accountable to make sure the work gets done on time. So the pressure of making the team to finish the work will always be there.
As a new manager, how you face this pressure and manage the team to get to the desired outcome will determine your performance.
So be prepared to face the music of pressure.
#2 Meetings
As a manager, expect majority of your time will be spent in meetings.
In a day, there will be meetings that you must attend or plan to make sure the team is going in the right direction.
How do you prepare for each meeting and context switch between meetings will determine your day’s outcome.
So be ready to plan your day thoroughly to manage variety of meetings.
#3 Roles and Responsibilities
Depending on the organisation that you end up joining, the clarity on roles and responsibilities will vary.
If you join a medium sized company then the roles and responsibilities will be well defined. If it is a start up, then the role might be diluted.
Don’t join a start up which are in its early days. Better to join a medium size or start up companies which has existed for at least 5years.
Irrespective of the company you end up joining, in case the responsibilities are not clear, then having discussions with senior management will help.
#4 Hiring
As a manager it is important to accept that hiring will be a continuous process as you can’t escape team member’s resigning.
A manager should constantly check whether there are enough resources in the team to take up the work. If not then request for more resources or adjust the existing resource allocation as needed.
If someone in the team resigns then it is important to raise for a backfill immediately and get that position closed as soon as possible.
Whom to hire for the team will be an important decision that you must make throughout the year.
#5 Organisation structure
Depending on the organisation that you end up going, the clarity in structure of the teams will vary.
If you are joining a mid-sized company then the structure will be well defined. In start-ups which are fairly new, there may not be any structure at all.
The organisation structure will help you to see the growth path, continuity in your experience, learning and alignment to organisation goals.
So based on your appetite for experimentation in your career choose your organisation for starting the management role.
#6 Growth and Learning
Every organisation will provide you growth and learning in different forms. Sometimes bad experiences will also have learnings which shouldn’t be ignored.
In management role, every experience will be a learning; every initiative you take to add value will increase chances of growth.
As a manager accumulating experiences as learnings will help you to handle similar situation in future.
For managers, the growth is only defined based on the value that you bring to the organisation.
#7 Support
In any organisation, you will get support from senior management or peer managers.
The key is seeking support. Many first time managers don’t seek support.
Don’t get carried away with the attitude of — “I will figure out everything…”. It may work for individual contributor but definitely not for managers.
In management role, seeking help from senior management or peer managers will help you to understand the implications of certain decisions and how to handle it.
#8 Team size
For first time managers, the team size should not be more than 4. If it is anything more than 4, then be prepared to face the music of pressure.
The number 4 is good for first time manager because it will give you time to adapt, experiment on your management style and understand what works and what does not.
In case you need to manage more than 4, then request for gradual increase in team size.
Conclusion
The above 8 points should help you visualise what to expect in a software company as a first time manager.
Do your own preparation before joining the team, like going through few courses or reading few books or blogs which will get you started.
The most important aspect to understand is that management role will be different from an individual contributor role.
If you transition to management with the right mindset, then you will be successful and you can write success stories about it.
Happy management!
Further Reading
