January 8, 2013 at 22:39Five reasons to be a manager
I read the post “13 Reasons not to be a Manager” and I want to write an answer.
First of all, I want to note that the doctor of biological sciences Sergey Savelyev in the book “Variability and Genius” says that the brain of every person is created for something. Someone has the brain of a programmer, someone is a manager, someone can master both areas. But usually talent forces a person to do what he likes. And for what it is not created, it will not please him, and that is the whole point.
Thus, for example, there is the brain of the artist, and he will not be a mathematician. And a mathematician often cannot write brilliant verses, and so on. There are geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, but this is an exception.
The whole question is to learn the basics of the profession, and if you like it, it needs to be dealt with. If not, try yourself in something else.
Therefore, there is no universal advice, everyone needs to look for their own business.
This was the introduction, and now about the buns of the work of the manager.
So what's cool in project management.
1. Scalability
As a manager, I can build management structures, working groups, and the total result is many times greater than if I myself coded. At the same time, scalability is infinite, as long as there is enough ability.
upd: a great Winter_mute quote describing my sensation.
This means that if we want to create automation of the contract department, or technical support to serve 10,000 customers, then we need team work. This is difficult to do alone. And I like to do large-scale projects more than to make one report or one page myself, or even a large module for highload, but to cut it for six months.
2. Timelessness The
Deadline Demarco book, written in the 80s, as well as the Brooks book of the 70s, is relevant even after 30-40 years. All the same problems, and the same solutions. Moreover, hardly books on those technologies (I saw somewhere, for example, about programming for Vax or MS DOS features) may be relevant after such a period. That is, you pump your skills and they do not become obsolete. As the classics wrote, houses are new, and prejudices are old.
Of course, here you can argue - having mastered C ++ in the 90s, you can eat tasty and caviar after 20 years. But over the past 7 years I have changed three languages of applied programming, three languages of web-programming and a bunch of small technologies. And each has its own nuances, and little things, each for its own tasks. Every time you learn first, and you’re tired of it. Although general principles often work everywhere (SPOT, KISS, etc.), the whole point is often decided by little things. And you need to follow them.
In the case of project management, you follow the typical disciplines, and do not start every time from scratch.
However, with the robotization of the world and the invention of full AI, everything can change in project management.
3. Interesting challenges
Despite all the typifications of people and standards, each person, employee is unique. And this means that the work will never cease to be interesting ever. At the same time, working with people is really difficult and not everyone can do it. In the case of a computer, I know for sure in what format I should write the program, which algorithm, this is predictable. That's why, having often solved the problem on paper in UML, I get bored of writing it, because the solution is already clear. In the case of the project, it cannot be said that people work like clockwork.
I do automation within the company. Our projects are like startups in various fields. Automation of contracts, sales, web projects for apartments, aggregator of all discounts of the company, billing, automation of the personnel department, website for attracting programmers, and so on. I didn’t have this when I was a programmer. Each time a new subject area, a new language, new users, new customers, new difficulties.
Plus, an improvement - you need to make the section visited, develop metrics for assessing effectiveness, figure out how to achieve these metrics ... There are a million different decisions, each time new, and this is a challenge that causes a feeling of drive, the buzz from work.
4. Infinity of project development
Any project can be developed endlessly. Generate ideas, make them, deliver to users, roll out new functionality. This is pure creativity.
For example, they first automated the creation of contracts - not by hand, but DOC and PDF are generated. Then they improved the pricing system, created a tariff system, and already in the appendix of the contract, prices with discounts fall on their own. Then the task appeared to make working with the interface for creating a contract more convenient. There is the task of creating billing. Also the task of international treaties, and this is another system of prices, payments, and so on, templates of contracts, details.
5. Risks and liability
Yes, not a weak psyche is required. There are a lot of risks, you can’t attribute to the designer that he crookedly made a layout, or to iron, that a weak server. You are responsible for everything, and often people from you independently get sick, and so on. And you follow this.
And this responsibility is highly paid, much higher than the average developer.
Previously, I was just responsible for the project, and a little for the server side. And now, and employee training, and recruitment, and ranking by professionalism. And how to give prospects to whom, what interesting tasks. How to calculate bonuses, how to increase salary. How to take into account possible illnesses and holidays, so that the result is, and the staff was comfortable. Etc.
What is described in the original post - endless meetings, or so any meetings and retrospectives, etc. in Agile methods, is IMHO in 90% of cases, a waste of time for developers. Therefore, this is what management, in essence, consists in creating working conditions for talented employees. People should clearly know what to do, and have at hand, all that is needed is a work plan, growth prospects, difficult tasks. And the project, manager, is engaged in clearing the path to an unknown future, bringing it to the end and in a million cases.
Yes, this is difficult work, and if you are not rushing to make complex releases by a large team, but you want to clearly code from morning to evening, do programming. Everyone should do what he likes.
There are few good programmers, and even fewer managers.
I have been managing projects for two years, and just a beginner project manager, in fact. There are 15 people in the department, several project teams. Mid-level manager - I manage those who manage programmers. At the same time, I also directly lead programmers and a number of projects. For three years he was a leading web-programmer, before that, startups, his own studio, freelance, etc.
And by the way, I still think that you can’t say who is better or worse. Everything works in a person - and the brain, and organs, and hands. Separately, it does not roll, only the system lives on. So the team - only the manager and the programmer do the project, and other specialists. I even made a presentation for the conference in our company about the role of a programmer in the company and in the market.Or in other words, programmers revitalize a project, do what others have drawn, designed, and so on.
All success and holidays!
First of all, I want to note that the doctor of biological sciences Sergey Savelyev in the book “Variability and Genius” says that the brain of every person is created for something. Someone has the brain of a programmer, someone is a manager, someone can master both areas. But usually talent forces a person to do what he likes. And for what it is not created, it will not please him, and that is the whole point.
Thus, for example, there is the brain of the artist, and he will not be a mathematician. And a mathematician often cannot write brilliant verses, and so on. There are geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, but this is an exception.
The whole question is to learn the basics of the profession, and if you like it, it needs to be dealt with. If not, try yourself in something else.
Therefore, there is no universal advice, everyone needs to look for their own business.
This was the introduction, and now about the buns of the work of the manager.
So what's cool in project management.
1. Scalability
As a manager, I can build management structures, working groups, and the total result is many times greater than if I myself coded. At the same time, scalability is infinite, as long as there is enough ability.
upd: a great Winter_mute quote describing my sensation.
It seems to me that the most adequate motivation in being a manager is the desire to do something that one person can not do in principle.
This means that if we want to create automation of the contract department, or technical support to serve 10,000 customers, then we need team work. This is difficult to do alone. And I like to do large-scale projects more than to make one report or one page myself, or even a large module for highload, but to cut it for six months.
2. Timelessness The
Deadline Demarco book, written in the 80s, as well as the Brooks book of the 70s, is relevant even after 30-40 years. All the same problems, and the same solutions. Moreover, hardly books on those technologies (I saw somewhere, for example, about programming for Vax or MS DOS features) may be relevant after such a period. That is, you pump your skills and they do not become obsolete. As the classics wrote, houses are new, and prejudices are old.
Of course, here you can argue - having mastered C ++ in the 90s, you can eat tasty and caviar after 20 years. But over the past 7 years I have changed three languages of applied programming, three languages of web-programming and a bunch of small technologies. And each has its own nuances, and little things, each for its own tasks. Every time you learn first, and you’re tired of it. Although general principles often work everywhere (SPOT, KISS, etc.), the whole point is often decided by little things. And you need to follow them.
In the case of project management, you follow the typical disciplines, and do not start every time from scratch.
However, with the robotization of the world and the invention of full AI, everything can change in project management.
3. Interesting challenges
Despite all the typifications of people and standards, each person, employee is unique. And this means that the work will never cease to be interesting ever. At the same time, working with people is really difficult and not everyone can do it. In the case of a computer, I know for sure in what format I should write the program, which algorithm, this is predictable. That's why, having often solved the problem on paper in UML, I get bored of writing it, because the solution is already clear. In the case of the project, it cannot be said that people work like clockwork.
I do automation within the company. Our projects are like startups in various fields. Automation of contracts, sales, web projects for apartments, aggregator of all discounts of the company, billing, automation of the personnel department, website for attracting programmers, and so on. I didn’t have this when I was a programmer. Each time a new subject area, a new language, new users, new customers, new difficulties.
Plus, an improvement - you need to make the section visited, develop metrics for assessing effectiveness, figure out how to achieve these metrics ... There are a million different decisions, each time new, and this is a challenge that causes a feeling of drive, the buzz from work.
4. Infinity of project development
Any project can be developed endlessly. Generate ideas, make them, deliver to users, roll out new functionality. This is pure creativity.
For example, they first automated the creation of contracts - not by hand, but DOC and PDF are generated. Then they improved the pricing system, created a tariff system, and already in the appendix of the contract, prices with discounts fall on their own. Then the task appeared to make working with the interface for creating a contract more convenient. There is the task of creating billing. Also the task of international treaties, and this is another system of prices, payments, and so on, templates of contracts, details.
5. Risks and liability
Yes, not a weak psyche is required. There are a lot of risks, you can’t attribute to the designer that he crookedly made a layout, or to iron, that a weak server. You are responsible for everything, and often people from you independently get sick, and so on. And you follow this.
And this responsibility is highly paid, much higher than the average developer.
Previously, I was just responsible for the project, and a little for the server side. And now, and employee training, and recruitment, and ranking by professionalism. And how to give prospects to whom, what interesting tasks. How to calculate bonuses, how to increase salary. How to take into account possible illnesses and holidays, so that the result is, and the staff was comfortable. Etc.
What is described in the original post - endless meetings, or so any meetings and retrospectives, etc. in Agile methods, is IMHO in 90% of cases, a waste of time for developers. Therefore, this is what management, in essence, consists in creating working conditions for talented employees. People should clearly know what to do, and have at hand, all that is needed is a work plan, growth prospects, difficult tasks. And the project, manager, is engaged in clearing the path to an unknown future, bringing it to the end and in a million cases.
Yes, this is difficult work, and if you are not rushing to make complex releases by a large team, but you want to clearly code from morning to evening, do programming. Everyone should do what he likes.
There are few good programmers, and even fewer managers.
I have been managing projects for two years, and just a beginner project manager, in fact. There are 15 people in the department, several project teams. Mid-level manager - I manage those who manage programmers. At the same time, I also directly lead programmers and a number of projects. For three years he was a leading web-programmer, before that, startups, his own studio, freelance, etc.
And by the way, I still think that you can’t say who is better or worse. Everything works in a person - and the brain, and organs, and hands. Separately, it does not roll, only the system lives on. So the team - only the manager and the programmer do the project, and other specialists. I even made a presentation for the conference in our company about the role of a programmer in the company and in the market.Or in other words, programmers revitalize a project, do what others have drawn, designed, and so on.
All success and holidays!