What tools and methods do engineering managers use to manage their projects and teams?

Risk assessments are an integral part of managing engineering projects, as there are always too many things that could be improved, or need fixing. - So assessing these by risk to the business and personally is the best way to maximize impact with funds available.

Managing risks in projects involves a systematic approach to identifying, assessing, and controlling potential threats that may impact the project's objectives. Key concepts include: 1. Risk Identification: Thoroughly identify and document all risks. 2. Risk Assessment: Evaluate each identified risk in terms of its probability of occurring and the potential impact. 3. Risk Prioritization: Prioritize risks based on their severity. 4. Risk Response Planning: Develop detailed strategies and action plans. 5. Risk Monitoring and Control: Continuously monitor identified risks. 6. Communication: Ensure effective communication with project stakeholders. 7. Lessons Learned: Document and analyze the outcomes of risk management activities.

As ferramentas de gerenciamento de projetos s?o essenciais para os gerentes de engenharia assegurarem o sucesso de seus projetos e equipes. Elas auxiliam na defini??o clara do escopo, or?amento e cronograma, na atribui??o de tarefas, no monitoramento do progresso e desempenho da equipe, e na gest?o eficiente de riscos e problemas. Com plataformas como Jira, Asana, Trello e Microsoft Project, os gerentes podem ter uma vis?o abrangente do projeto, comunicar o status aos interessados e tomar decis?es informadas com base em dados atualizados em tempo real. Isso n?o apenas aumenta a eficiência operacional, mas também promove a colabora??o e transparência entre os membros da equipe de engenharia.

I have had several years of management experience within various manufacturing environments. I have seen the most benefit come from the following concepts. 1) Understanding the internal customer and placing their needs as priority one 2) Producing an "as built" structured bill of material. Modify the bill of material for improvements and standardization. 3) Flow charting the flow of documentation from Engineering through out the organization 4) Project management using a Gantt chart approach with resource levelling. 5) Cross training of staff to help them understand the big picture and become a better member of the team.

These tools and methods generally below categories 1. Project Management 2. Communication 3. Collaboration and Documentation 4. Performance Tracking and Metrics 5. Task and Resource Management 6. Risk and Issue Management 7. Team Development and Feedback 8. Automation Tools Using combination of these tools and methods ensures smooth project execution, team coordination, and delivery of high quality results. Each engineering managers might tailor the stack based on team size, project complexity and company culture.

Continuous feedback on partial deliveries is essential for effective management of software engineering teams. It enables rapid iterative adjustments, continual alignment with goals and expectations, boosts team engagement, mitigates risks by early issue detection, promotes ongoing process improvement, and enhances transparency and trust within the team and with stakeholders alike, leading to higher quality final products and overall satisfaction.

I think this article is a good starter but misses the importance of connecting the work done to higher purpose/mission. That’s where OKRs come in. They’ve really helped me demonstrate and validate that the work we do correspond to business objectives or a mission the team has agreed upon. By breaking down a clear objective into its key results, we increase ownership and accountability.

The article does a great job highlighting various tools and methods. However, especially for more mature codebases, one key factor to consider is clearing time from raw coding. Scalable development models that offload up to 40% of developers' tasks can free up valuable time for them to add value in other areas. These models also position developers as final supervisors, ensuring the quality and coherence of the work. Integrating such scalable models should be a crucial consideration when building and managing an engineering team.