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> your bottleneck really is just writing more code You're characterising it as pure "code volume" question but it's completely not the point. Absolutely if the

by zmmmmm 2y ago

> your bottleneck really is just writing more code You're characterising it as pure "code volume" question but it's completely not the point. Absolutely if they are coding just to directly increase the output of the team they are much better devoting that time to getting more output from the IC's they are managing. But even better is coding in a way that helps the team overall work better. This can be because they do architectural work, they gain insight into the actual team challenges, it improves how they can estimate the time needed for different tasks, etc.

tibbar 2y ago
Yep, there's definitely a way to write code intentionally, for the reasons you listed, and I approve of that! But you'll see a lot of engineering managers coding because they are trying to help the team reach its next deliverable. This is usually short-sighted. I think of it as the management control loop: "I have some spare cycles -> what is the most important work I can do for the team right now?" Coding can be the answer. But some people's control loop seems to be more like: "I have some spare cycles -> what is the most interesting/rewarding task I can do next?" The latter might lead to a lot more coding, but it's not good for the team.
- datavirtue 2y ago
  No idea where these guys work where they can just roll up their sleeves and start coding. I would love to help out but there is zero time for me to code.
  - zmmmmm 2y ago
    One of the reasons I keep doing it is because I know if I fall off the wagon it will very quickly translate into that situation. As long as I have everything set up like the actual devs do and know all the processes, it isn't a lot of time for me to jump in and do bits and pieces. And even though its a very slippery slope, there are absolutely cases where it takes longer to explain what I want than just to do it. Sometimes I will start it off to get the architecture right and then leave a trail of points to complete it with someone on the team. So there are times when it's a "time saver" and it's a win all round.

by zmmmmm 2y ago

tibbar 2y ago

Yep, there's definitely a way to write code intentionally, for the reasons you listed, and I approve of that! But you'll see a lot of engineering managers coding because they are trying to help the team reach its next deliverable. This is usually short-sighted. I think of it as the management control loop: "I have some spare cycles -> what is the most important work I can do for the team right now?" Coding can be the answer. But some people's control loop seems to be more like: "I have some spare cycles -> what is the most interesting/rewarding task I can do next?" The latter might lead to a lot more coding, but it's not good for the team.

datavirtue 2y ago
No idea where these guys work where they can just roll up their sleeves and start coding. I would love to help out but there is zero time for me to code.
- zmmmmm 2y ago
  One of the reasons I keep doing it is because I know if I fall off the wagon it will very quickly translate into that situation. As long as I have everything set up like the actual devs do and know all the processes, it isn't a lot of time for me to jump in and do bits and pieces. And even though its a very slippery slope, there are absolutely cases where it takes longer to explain what I want than just to do it. Sometimes I will start it off to get the architecture right and then leave a trail of points to complete it with someone on the team. So there are times when it's a "time saver" and it's a win all round.