Software Design Principles in Communication of an Engineer

 

As a reporting manager, anytime did you say this to one of your team members?

• You did not deliver what the organization expected.
• You did not deliver what the business expected.
• You should also deliver what the company needs; but, you did not.

If you hear any of these from someone in the team other than manager, it is more likely, the story is narrated in the team, and you are hearing it now.  How to avoid ending up here?

Reporting Manager and Communication

When I'm in the role of a reporting manager, I want to avoid the below mistakes and keep my team well aware and informed.

I see, most of the skilled engineers are put to a corner because of not good communication from the reporting managers.  And, not all engineers are aware of politics and to move politically.

I listen and converse to such engineers. They are not well communicated and aware of -- what is expected by business, company and stakeholders.  It is not communicated in precise and straight.  

But, it is expected from one to deliver. Failing to do so, the message narrated to the floor is -- she or he did not deliver what is expected.

When I work in the role of Engineering Manager or Director of Engineering or its above roles,

• One of primary responsibilities is to be better in communication day-by-day and follow the KISS - Keep It Simple and Straight.
• Yes, you read it right, it is KISS.

How are you communicating in the role of Engineering Manager and Director of Engineering?  How effective, simple, precise and straight it is?

Software Design Principles and Communication

Communicate with your engineers in the teams.

Help your engineers to understand the expectations.  Practice the software design principles in your communication.  Give it a try!

If a software engineer can identify and implement the design principles in the software she or he builds, then, she or he can identify it in your communication and the expectations you have.

These software design principles should be in our communication day-on-day,

1. KISS
2. DRY
3. YAGNI
4. TDA
5. SOLID

Do not have these design principles just in the interview rounds and sometimes in the code review.  It should be in our communication and day-to-day decision execution.

Do you have these in your communication?

Or, just in the interview you take and the system you build?

Ask your team member if she or he knows your expectations.  Ask, how well you have communicated it.

To sum up and summarize,

1. The team or a team member is skilled but failed to deliver the expectation is more likely when the expectations are not well communicated by her or his reporting manager or the skip manager. 
• The other case is, the engineer is lousy and not stepping up.  But, most times it is not well communicated.
2. The Software Design Principles as KISS, DRY, and YAGNI are not just for the software we build.  
• It is also a must practice in our day-to-day communication and engineering's decision execution.  
• If it cannot be practiced in our communication, I doubt, if a team or org practices these design principles in the software system it builds and ships.
3. The reporting manager role is underrated and not understood well enough.  
• It is one of the critical roles in the business and org.  
• Any of us can be a reporting manager in role. But, hardly a few have the lasting legacy of being the effective and efficient reporting managers.
4. Communicate it straight and in simple, so that, each in a team knows her or his objectives and how it will align to business's goals and objectives with an impact.
5. Learning to deal with one's ego is a underrated and unspoken skill.
• Foster and build culture where one approaches you with questions to seek clarity.  
• When you demonstrate how well you are handling the ego, the other can spot it and will manage her or his ego.  If not, still you will master your ego!
6. Like, how a child's growth behavior is reflection of people around it, an engineers growth and behavior is a reflection of you and people in the business and org.
• The reporting manager's persona, communication and character will leave the marks on team members and org.

Happy Engineers Day!