Five Things You Need to Know About Engineering Management

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Five Things You Need to Know About Engineering Management

Gary C. Hinkle - President, Auxilium, Inc. Gary's Engineering Leadership blog

If you read surveys about the highest paying jobs in the U.S., you'll notice that the median salary for Engineering Managers ranks not too far behind doctors, attorneys, and CEOs (typical CEO base salary, not the extreme high end of the scale that often makes the news). The reason good Engineering Managers are paid well is because it's a very difficult job that not many people with engineering backgrounds want − and even fewer are highly qualified for the role.

Michael Aucoin, author of From Engineer to Manager: Mastering the Transition found that most engineers are unhappy with the "promotion" to manager. "Much of this frustration is the result of lack of preparation and training."

Outside of the technical challenges Engineering Managers face, three major issues make Engineering Management a difficult profession that takes its toll on many:

* An Engineering Manager needs soft skills to be effective. Often, too much emphasis is placed on technical ability as a primary job requirement. Without the ability to influence others, make good decisions and manage many priorities, top-notch technical skills aren't going contribute much to the management of the team.

* Expectations of an Engineering Manager are unrealistic. It's rare to find an Engineering Manager who's a perfect package: technical, business and leadership skills all rolled into one, with a side order of interpersonal abilities. Whether this balance exists or not, Engineering Managers need to delegate and their managers need to be supportive of that. Expecting Engineering Managers to be superhuman is sure to lead to disappointment.

* The Engineering Manager role lacks P/L responsibility. Without direct responsibility for profit and loss, Engineering Managers won't be fully recognized as strategic leaders. They often don't receive the same level of support, recognition, raises, and promotions their peers in Sales or Marketing enjoy.

Avoiding the Pitfalls

1) Align resources well.

Encourage Engineering Managers to delegate and make the most of their existing strengths. If their strength is leadership, they should delegate "management" functions such as scheduling, project planning details, etc. The more experienced engineers should be serving as project leaders, maybe even taking on some of the "management" responsibilities.

If an engineering group is responsible for more than a couple of major projects, fully dedicated Project Managers can manage projects, rather than expecting an Engineering Manager to be responsible for managing all the projects. To make this work, there are many organizational structures and project management models to choose from. Trying out different models as needed − and being open-minded when you may need to try something other than your current approach − will enhance the performance of your engineering team.

When people with the right skills aren't available and budget doesn't allow hiring full-time help for the Engineering Manager, consider retaining a qualified consultant with skills that complement the Engineering Manager's. The right consultant can also serve as a trainer and coach. An effective coach will not only help managers and staff develop skills, but can also provide counsel for relieving stress and improving overall job satisfaction.

Also, unless the engineering team is very small − fewer than eight people − expecting a manager to also function as a technical contributor to any significant degree is unrealistic and unwise. Very few can be effective as a manager while performing complex technical work day-to-day.

2) Foster professionalism and trust.

Since Engineering Managers and the engineers they manage are highly educated and well paid, expect a high level of professionalism and treat them as professionals. In my work with clients I see too many cases where executive management creates or sustains an environment where highly paid professionals perceive their professionalism is in question − that they aren't trusted. Management seldom realizes this perception even exits.

Teamwork expert Patrick Lencioni emphasizes the importance of trust because it's a fundamental "dysfunction" that hinders most teams. The key to building trust is to build rapport among associates. Executives need to practice MBWA and "open door" policies to build rapport with staff if they want to encourage trust among team members.

3) Invest in soft skills.

Technical professionals need a combination of technical skills, business skills, and interpersonal skills. For Engineering Managers, technical skills are least important, and the focus should be on the skills that will help a manager grow as a key leader of your business. Some Engineering Managers prefer not to go too far down the leadership path and will continue to place high value on their technical skills − after all, those skills are probably what got them noticed in the first place, and they're comfortable with their technical abilities. If a technically proficient Engineering Manager isn't willing to expand expertise into leadership, maybe he or she isn't the best fit for the Engineering Management role.

Before sending your Engineering Manager to a technical conference, consider sending an engineer to the conference instead and investing in the manager's leadership skills. Budget a minimum of $3000 annually for the professional development of each Engineering Manager to be competitive with other employers that invest in staff development. It's not uncommon for companies that invest significantly in employee development to spend over $5000 annually for training and development of one key individual.

4) Be realistic.

There's an epidemic in industry where estimates from the experts doing the work don't align with dictated schedules. Essentially, it's a trust issue − experts' realistic estimates are questioned by eager executives who want things done faster. Engineering Managers often find themselves between a rock (usually a boulder) and a hard place. Trust that estimates are valid unless there are concrete reasons not to, and when estimates don't align with business needs, put the effort into making project plans realistic.

This problem is especially prevalent in the software industry. Software development guru Michael Cusumano's 2004 study of software projects found that 75% to 80% of software projects are late or over budget. Many projects are classified as being late according to the "schedule" − not the original "estimates" which often are much closer to reality.

Lack of trust works both ways. When business leaders don't have faith in the estimates of their experts and set unrealistic objectives, employees may lack faith in their leadership.

5) Include benefits other than pay.

In today's global market, engineering skills are often viewed as a commodity, and outsourcing to reduce costs is having a dramatic effect on technology workers in the U.S. Whether outsourcing is good or bad, executives should be aware that the engineering profession today in the U.S. is feeling that it's not held in high regard.

In addition to paying Engineering Managers well, rewards are necessary so that managers are enthusiastic enough to perform up to their full potential. For technical managers, the additional "rewards" that will usually be most satisfying are things such as recognition, and providing adequate resources for the projects and people they're managing. Recognition is especially valuable when results are expressed in terms of bottom-line contributions.

It's easy to figure out what benefits your Engineering Managers will appreciate. Just ask them! You'll probably learn that some of the most important perks that will boost their enthusiasm are easy and inexpensive. Examples I've experienced as powerful morale boosters include informal recognition events, flex time or comp time, food items, and gift cards. A good sign is when Engineering Managers express more concern for the well-being of their staff than additional benefits for themselves.

These suggested actions should make a big impact in companies that aren't already supporting Engineering Managers sufficiently.

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