Managing Engineers

Si and Neil hit episode ten and do what any good engineering manager would do: run a retro. They look back at the highlights, the episodes that didn't quite land, the feedback that stuck, and what they're committing to next season. It's a little self-indulgent, and they know it. But if you've ever reflected on a project and come away feeling better about the journey than the destination, this one'...

Si and Neil compare notes on one of the most underestimated challenges in tech leadership: hiring well. From writing the job spec to navigating AI in the interview room, this episode covers the full journey, with plenty of honest opinions, personal stories and hard-won lessons along the way. Writing the Job Spec (03:16) - Where hiring goes wrong before it's even started. The laundry list problem,...

It took them eight episodes, but Si and Neil finally tackle AI. No future predictions (well, almost), no hot takes, just two engineering managers sharing what they're actually doing with these tools, what's surprised them, and what still makes them nervous. They cover using LLMs as thinking partners, the difference between AI that writes code and AI that helps you engineer better, agentic tools an...

In this episode, Si and Neil talk about the communities that helped shape their careers and perspectives as engineers and leaders. From grassroots meetups and agile communities to internal workplace groups and side project collectives, they explore how the right people in the right space can accelerate learning, create opportunities, and build lasting friendships. They also discuss what makes comm...

Metrics are meant to help. But sometimes they just perform. In this episode, we explore the difference between measurement that drives insight and measurement that becomes theatre. From counting test cases and commit history, to DORA metrics and Monte Carlo forecasting, we unpack how numbers can guide teams - or quietly distort behaviour  . We reflect on how metrics have evolved over the past 25 y...

We’ve reached the halfway point of our 10-part season, which felt like the right moment to step back and talk about one of the most persistent topics in modern engineering teams - remote and hybrid working. In this episode, Si and Neil explore what working from home actually means when you’re managing software engineers. Not the policies, perks, or perfect desk setups, but the lived reality. What...

They explore the journey from “tester” to QA, quality engineer, and quality coach, and why job titles still shape perception, influence, and when people are invited into the room. KEY THEMES Why quality is not just testing at the end, but shaping ideas from discovery through to delivery How different titles like tester, QA, quality engineer, and quality coach change expectations and behaviours The...

How hands-on should an engineering manager be, and what do we lose or gain as we move away from the code? In this episode we dig into the messy middle between technical work, people leadership and the hunt for that spark that keeps us excited. Using our own careers as the backdrop, we unpack what “hands-on” really means. Is it code, system thinking, process, delivery, people, or all of it at once?...

In this episode, Si and Neil dive into learning as engineering managers, how they approach it personally, how teams respond to it, and why it’s weirdly hard to make time for something everyone claims to value. They chat about learning budgets, 10 percent time, hackathons, internal conferences, external speakers, audiobooks, Blinkist, reflection time, and why inspiration often hits when you’re nowh...

In this pilot episode, Si and Neil get to know each other on mic for the first time. They chat about how they got into software engineering, the early days of web and testing communities, and how their careers shifted into management. There are stories about deleting databases, breaking websites, rediscovering in-person meetups, and what it really means to learn and lead. They also touch on AI, in...

This one is about performance reviews - the anti-patterns of how things shouldn't be done and some pro tips on how things COULD be done. 03:57 What are performance reviews? 11:11 How to do performance reviews 15:27 Any themes or trends? 19:48 The danger of metrics 22:46 Who gets the hype? 27:11 The future of performance reviews 31:57 Wrap it up in a bow Email your thoughts to info@managingengineer...