Technical Management

Technical management seems a contradiction in terms. Software is everywhere, but hardware and firmware create a somewhat different game.

Category: Uncategorized

  • A tool against “self-interruption”

    Isaac

    I just had a thought… and that is a problem.  I read and interact and do.  In this course of existence, things occur to me, I make connections, I hear about potentially interesting things.  I have been using the following technique for a couple of years now and it helps.  I have multiple todo lists… Read more

  • Browser history shame: the undervalued asset

    Isaac

    There are bros out there who make pacts to delete one another’s browser history (and porn collection) in the case of a sudden, untimely death. But, today I want to talk about a different browser history shame: one we can turn to our advantage.   For many of us, the time we spend working at our… Read more

  • Why the timer by my keyboard is sticky

    Isaac

    It’s easy for me to get distracted with (sometimes unrelated) side tasks. Admitting I have a problem often means admitting this moment’s activity isn’t essential to my goal for right now. Putting my to-do-right-now list on a sticky note for each time block helps me stay focused.  Benefits of a small, tangible ‘“now list” I’ve… Read more

  • It is important to quit at the first hint of an obstacle

    Isaac

    Having productive blocks of time is incredibly important to technical workers–and creators of all kinds. Our curiosity can take us from the main path toward our objective without us even realizing that’s happening. The amount of time it takes to rebuild my mental state and get into a flow again is highly non-linear: there’s a… Read more

  • I live in the past, you should join me

    Isaac

    I need to stick to what I planned to do yesterday, by handling today’s interruptions in a time box. In the glory of yesterday, I was blissfully free from all of the minor emergencies that came up today. Managers need to stay on top of things to keep their team pointed in the right direction. … Read more

  • Tools for managing your technical team don’t matter if you don’t use them: a self assessment

    Isaac

    Isaac Davenport, Nat Crutcher, Matt Zenthoefer 2023.10.23 To get a sense of how you stack up against other technical managers, see how many boxes you can tick for these vital tools and techniques.  Over the course of a couple months, the twelve senior technical managers I surveyed would use on average 17 of these 29… Read more

  • Possible Articles to Write

    Isaac

    5 Business fundamentals you need to understand before being promoted into management Career Path The First Job Search The Path to Partner Why you are not being promoted Why you are not being promoted, Part II The leadership ladder Leadership: balancing the big picture and details Big Picture How do we do this better?  Hiring… Read more

  • How do we do this better?

    Isaac

    This is a summary of some high level advice I put together for a friend starting his first position in which he would lead a department. In this case it was the test engineering department for a hardware company. The group needed to improve, but the complaints from above were vague. How do we do… Read more