development team

In Agile, measuring success isn't just about counting completed tasks - it's about ensuring teams continuously improve while delivering value. Without metrics, teams might feel like they're making progress, but they wouldn’t have clear evidence of what's working and what isn't. The right metrics give teams visibility into their workflow, highlight areas for improvement, and help them make better decisions. But Agile isn't about chasing numbers - metrics should support improvement, not dictate behavior.

The transition to an Engineering Manager role often presents new challenges that can be both rewarding and daunting. Many engineers stepping into this position might feel confident due to their experience, as they have already been involved in various aspects of management, such as stakeholder engagement and leading teams to deliver user value.

Feedback plays an important role in personal and professional development. It is a communication tool that, when handled well, builds understanding and encourages progress. How feedback is delivered and received can significantly affect how it is understood and the actions that follow. Here are actionable strategies to approach both giving and receiving feedback effectively.

Engineering management is one of those roles that looks simple on paper but feels very different once you're in it. At its core, it's about enabling others rather than measuring yourself only by your own output. You're not just writing code or solving problems directly anymore. Instead, you're creating the right environment for your team to do their best work, keeping them aligned, and helping them grow.

The more responsibility you take on, the less your job is about your own output. For engineers who step into management, this can feel unnatural. You're used to solving problems directly, writing code, and moving fast. You may even know the exact way to solve something, and it can feel frustrating to slow down long enough to explain it to someone else. But that's the shift.

One of the biggest traps for any team is confusing progress with movement. It's easy to stay busy, harder to stay focused. As managers, part of our role is to help our teams create value fast enough to learn, but not so fast that we lose direction. This is where the concept of the MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, becomes a practical tool for alignment and learning.