People Driven Development

Sep 05 2024
People Driven Development Podcast artwork

There are a number of ways to develop software: Test-driven, Behavior-driven, Product-driven, Customer-driven (to name a few). But once you move into engineering leadership, you're no longer dealing with software directly. It's all about People Driven Development. How do you work with people to drive this engineering product forward? How do you manage people so they feel seen, respected, emotionally safe, challenged, and empowered? How do you deliver business results and also focus relentlessly on people? Eddie and Morgan try to help their fellow engineering leaders through difficult situations where the problem isn't really technology at all.

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The Productivity Paranoia

Sep 05 2024 68 mins  
Eddie and Morgan are joined by guest Erin Doyle, a staff software engineer at Lob. Together, they delve into developer productivity, exploring the balance between developer experience and organizational efficiency. They discuss challenges like cognitive overload, psychological safety, and the pitfalls of productivity metrics. The conversation highlights practical steps for fosterin

Unit Economics is a thing

Aug 15 2024 50 mins  
Morgan and Eddie explore the often-taboo topic of money in engineering organizations by tackling listener questions about explaining layoffs and budget cuts to a team. They break down how SaaS businesses operate, the factors influencing engineering budgets, and practical strategies for managing finances as an engineering leader.(00:00) - Introduction and Listener's Dilemma (01:13)

People analytics

Jul 17 2024 54 mins  
In this episode, Morgan and Eddie pivot from their usual Q&A format to discuss the crucial topic of individual performance assessment, particularly timely during mid-year reviews. They explore the complexities introduced by recent economic shifts, the significant role of perceived performance in career trajectory, and the challenges in achieving fairness and transparency. Key d

Breaking silos

Jun 28 2024 37 mins  
Morgan and Eddie address a listener's concern about navigating silos in a rapidly growing engineering team. They discuss how silos form, their impact on productivity, and various strategies to break them down, such as encouraging a culture of shared responsibility, emphasizing succession planning, and proactive knowledge transfer to mitigate silo formation and promote long-term tea

How predictable can software engineering be?

Jun 10 2024 36 mins  
In this episode, Morgan and Eddie respond to a listener who is struggling to deliver an AI-based internal product for customer support on time. The discussion covers potential reasons for project delays, with a focus on local and global issues affecting predictability. They provide insights on proper effort estimation, managing expectations, the importance of psychological safety,

Valuation of Values

May 14 2024 36 mins  
In this episode, Eddie and Morgan discuss the significance and impact of company values, focusing on how to ensure they are effectively implemented and upheld within an organization. They explore the importance of aligning values with actions, integrating them into decision-making processes, and addressing potential pitfalls like value weaponization.Topics covered:The purpose of co

Creating owners

Apr 26 2024 42 mins  
In this episode, Eddie and Morgan explore the topic of creating ownership within teams and organizations. They discuss what it means to be an owner, how to create an environment where people feel empowered to take ownership, and the benefits of having a culture of ownership.Topics covered:What does it mean to be an ownerHow to create an environment where people feel empowered to ta

What's an effective manager?

Apr 08 2024 38 mins  
In this episode, Eddie and Morgan discuss the question of what makes an effective manager. They delve into the key competencies and attributes that effective managers possess, and explore how these competencies can be developed and improved over time.Topics covered: The key competencies and attributes of effective managersHow to develop and improve managerial competenciesThe import

Who needs managers anyway?

Mar 27 2024 36 mins  
In this episode, Eddie and Morgan discuss the question of whether or not engineering organizations can run effectively without any managers. They delve into the underlying reasons why a CEO might ask this question, and explore the key attributes of a team and system that will succeed with varying levels of involvement of managers.Topics covered:The possible reasons why a CEO might