4 ms·

Hmm - isn't it often the same for non-software engineers (civil, mechanical, eletcrical)? They do technical work on projects for just a few years before becomin

Hmm - isn't it often the same for non-software engineers (civil, mechanical, eletcrical)? They do technical work on projects for just a few years before becoming e.g. project managers or team leads for said projects etc. If so, I wonder if this is some kind of "expected steady state". We've solved a lot of the low hanging fruits of stuff you can do with computers, now its about optimizing for very particular problems and businesses (each having lots of human- and organization-driven messiness).

hintymad 3y ago
I kinda question how many project managers we really need. My role models in non-software engineers are Kelly Johnson, Wernher_von_Braun, and Oppenheimer. They are world-class experts in their own fields, down to theories. They tinkered, they invented, they deeply understood theories, and they advanced their own fields. Kelly was known for solving or estimating solutions of complex equations of aerodyanmics in his head. Wernher was known for ingenious design of rocket engines. Oppenheimer was a world-class physicist. In the meantime, they wielded sufficient power to lead complex projects.
- thfuran 3y ago
  At any given company, approximately 0 employees are as competent as Oppenheimer.
  - hintymad 3y ago
    Well, we have a spectrum of talent. The point, though, is that great engineers know how to build, and practice so as well.
  - dghlsakjg 3y ago
    At any given company the stakes are about 0 compared to the manhattan project, so that kind of tracks.
- dghlsakjg 3y ago
  All three of those men were backed by the most powerful states of their day. Oppenheimer in particular is interesting because he headed up the most important, but least expensive and labor intensive part of the project. He was also not the main project manager, he only managed the lab. Groves filled the role of the main project manager, and was not a physics expert. In fact his expertise was project management. Groves book emphasizes that his role was to delegate to the correct people, and use his influence to get things done. In other words it was PMs all the way down.

hintymad 3y ago

I kinda question how many project managers we really need. My role models in non-software engineers are Kelly Johnson, Wernher_von_Braun, and Oppenheimer. They are world-class experts in their own fields, down to theories. They tinkered, they invented, they deeply understood theories, and they advanced their own fields. Kelly was known for solving or estimating solutions of complex equations of aerodyanmics in his head. Wernher was known for ingenious design of rocket engines. Oppenheimer was a world-class physicist. In the meantime, they wielded sufficient power to lead complex projects.

thfuran 3y ago
At any given company, approximately 0 employees are as competent as Oppenheimer.
- hintymad 3y ago
  Well, we have a spectrum of talent. The point, though, is that great engineers know how to build, and practice so as well.
- dghlsakjg 3y ago
  At any given company the stakes are about 0 compared to the manhattan project, so that kind of tracks.
dghlsakjg 3y ago
All three of those men were backed by the most powerful states of their day. Oppenheimer in particular is interesting because he headed up the most important, but least expensive and labor intensive part of the project. He was also not the main project manager, he only managed the lab. Groves filled the role of the main project manager, and was not a physics expert. In fact his expertise was project management. Groves book emphasizes that his role was to delegate to the correct people, and use his influence to get things done. In other words it was PMs all the way down.