Category Archives: Engineering Manager
Evaluating Candidates
I seem to have spent much of my career interviewing candidates for engineering positions. Interviewing is an art that I have tried to make as objective as possible. I grade each candidate in the following five areas (these are in … Continue reading
Corporate Vision vs. Mission
Today we had an executive offsite where, among other things, we reworked our company vision and mission. We had a good discussion on the difference between the two and after a fierce discussion were left with a very clear vision … Continue reading
Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE)
I just finished reading Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. This is another great book I will add to my management toolkit. The book is a case study of a multi-year project … Continue reading
Mac Essential Applications
Here is my list of must have tools for OS X: Adium – Instant message client Mac Ports – Various ports from Linux ConceptDraw MINDMAP – Brain storming/mind mapping tool iShowU – Screen recorder Microsoft Office 2008 – Office suite … Continue reading
Vendor Contracts
There are a few things I make sure I have in all contracts I sign on behalf of the company: Indemnification – This is the most important clause to get/keep in a contract. Software patents just plain suck. If you … Continue reading
Product Pilots
Before I buy any product of significant value, the vendor is required to run a pilot or proof-of-concept to make sure the product will work as advertised in my environment. I have yet to find a vendor that has an … Continue reading
The Enterprise Discount Game
Enterprise products, software and hardware, are sold with the full knowledge that the price will be discounted. What is often referred to as the list price, is nothing more than amount to base your discounts on. The question is how … Continue reading
Finding Top Talent
Hire the best. No, hire the best of the best. I always say no engineer is better than a bad engineer. Agile development methodologies require highly talented and motivated engineers to make the process work. Mediocrity doesn’t do it. A … Continue reading
