Argues that the job a CTO is delivering real value faster.
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I find that the technical problems in large engineering orgs are often identical in shape to problems at tiny startups - just blown up across more code and data.
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To support your CEO you must first make sure Engineering is working fast enough on the right things. Then you need to prove that to the CEO.
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The smartest CTOs I know donât tolerate conversations about âvelocity.â Not âengineering velocityâ or âproduct velocityâ â they redirect the conversation to make sure thereâs a clear business strategy, then a clear product strategy to implement the business strategy, and then a technology strategy in turn. This redirection from âvelocityâ to actual goals gives an executive team real problems to fix that lead to real outcomes.
Managing to âweird shitâ
Managing to an internal engineering process or metric (e.g. DORA) as though that metric represents value delivered. This is not that this metrics are not valuable in context, but they are not the value delivered. You wouldnât say a person is âethicalâ based on their heart rate.
Cite
- Danger, J. Executive Engineering: Practical Engineering Theory for Software Leaders. (The Technical Executive).
Metadata
Title:: Executive Engineering: Practical Engineering Theory for Software Leaders Year:: 2024 Publisher:: The Technical Executive ISBN:: 979-8-9897616-3-0
Abstract
Unlock the foundational principles of engineering leadership. Success in your company, with your team, requires an understanding that goes deeper than merely adopting industry best practices.This book gives you practical models and examples that help you navigate the complexities of engineering organizations. This is a birdâs-eye view of the software field that reveals how product velocity, tech debt, Agile frameworks, team charters, and product leadership all fit together and how to use these connections to deliver product value at maximum speed.Drawing from the lessons of Silicon Valley startups, Jack Danger ties together the many little complexities of engineering leadership into a unified whole and empowers engineering leaders at any size company to deliver real value to customers faster.In these pages youâll find practical tools to: - Measure and accelerate engineering velocity - Repair the relationship between Product and Engineering - Uncover hidden layers within your existing team - Make a portfolio of your technical debt.