Many engineers say, “I like programming” and “I enjoy making things”, but when you reach a certain level of experience, skills, and age, you will be required to have management skills. However, the current situation is that it is difficult to imagine because management skills are completely different from engineering work.
Here, we will introduce the basics of management, necessary skills, points to be aware of, and learning methods.
What is management in the first place?
First, let’s look at the basics of management and the role of managers.
Purpose of management
Management has the meaning of “management” and “management” and is generally recognized as the definition of “tools, functions, and institutions for achieving organizational results” as presented by Drucker, a famous business scholar. Specifically, the goal is to bring together the entire organization to produce results, and management is to bring the team together to achieve that goal.
The role of managers in engineers
A manager is a person whose purpose is to bring together the entire organization to achieve results. The main job is to manage QCD (Quality, Cost, Delivery), but the manager’s role as an engineer is wide-ranging, such as technical support, product operation, and development control. Therefore, in addition to technical skills as an engineer, management skills and skills related to relationships with people are required.
<Major roles of managers>
・Achievement of objectives set by the organization
・Growth of individuals belonging to the organization
・Social contribution through profits
Why Engineers Need Management
Since the purpose of management is to increase the results of the organization, it is possible to act as a manager even if you do not have technical skills. However, in recent years, there is a demand for “braining managers” who can do engineering by themselves. Here’s why.
Improve system development performance
QCD management, which is a manager’s main job, requires an understanding of engineering, so technical capabilities are essential for proper management. In addition, if you have technical skills, you can develop new products and provide technical support while doing manager work, and you can improve the performance of system development.
How to Develop your skills and grow?
Managers know everything about their team, so sometimes they have to do more than they can. In addition, since it is necessary to delve deeply into understanding and knowledge of one job, you can acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills, which will lead to your growth.
faster organizational decision-making
If you have technical skills, you can make use of your skills and experience as an engineer and make use of the voices of the field in your management. Conversely, decisions made by management can be quickly fed back to the workplace, speeding up decision-making throughout the organization.
Reduced labor costs
There is also a reason behind the demand for playing managers, “to work with the minimum number of people”.
In addition, although management positions themselves are always necessary for business execution, it is also true that there are management positions that are not directly linked to sales. The presence of a playing manager is also effective in reducing such labor costs.
Points that engineers should be aware of in management
When an engineer manages, be aware of the following three things.
1. Awareness of projects, people, and roles
2. Development of engineers
3. Don’t be swayed by the voices of the field
Awareness of projects, people, and roles
To achieve results in an organization, it is important to always see the overall direction of the project and see if there is any error in the direction project. To that end, it is important to have not only an engineer’s point of view but also a manager’s point of view.
Be conscious of whether you are properly allocating tasks and properly picking up alerts from members, and proceed efficiently and smoothly.
Training engineers
In management, the development of subordinate engineers is also an important factor. Therefore, it is important not to try to solve everything by yourself just because you are a playing manager, but to think about the system for developing engineers and how to distribute work.
Not swayed by voices on site
The voices of the field are often short-term visions, and if you accept them without question, you may be swayed. To lead the project to success, it is necessary to consider a long-term vision from a multifaceted perspective, rather than simply accepting the voices of the field.
Skills required for engineers to manage
As mentioned above, engineers need not only technical skills but also various skills for management.
What are management skills?
Of course, if you want to manage, you need management skills. Management skills are the ability to foresee the entire project, including schedule and member management, and problem-solving skills.
What are quality control skills?
Quality control is also an important management skill. In addition to confirming that quality standards are met through reviews and tests, it is also necessary to have an understanding of customer operations and the ability to summarize various information.
What are technical skills?
In the management of engineers, technical skills as engineers are required because appropriate management cannot be done without technical skills. In addition to knowledge in various fields such as development, infrastructure, and the web, skills to properly build systems are required.
communication skills, leadership
Communication is essential for the smooth progress of projects, such as negotiations and adjustments with customers and members. In addition, leadership to bring project members together and the ability to grasp customer needs and reflect them in the project are required.
Management learning method for engineers
In recent years, many management study books for engineers have been published. Here are three books that I highly recommend.
Management career path for engineers
This is a book that explains the skills required of a playing manager in an easy-to-understand manner. In the career path of engineers, the roles and skills required at each stage are explained in detail, and you can learn the mindset and techniques as a manager, such as recruitment and evaluation, rebuilding the team, and maintaining technical capabilities. I can do it.
Management [Essential Edition] – Fundamentals and Principles
A full-fledged introduction to management for beginners. It specifically explains the missions, roles, and initiatives that should be fulfilled in management, and gives new goals and courage to those who aspire to become managers.
Performance Management – Behavior Analysis for Problem Solving
This is a book about problem-solving based on behavior analysis in management. It consists of 15 chapters in total, and you can learn problem-solving in various scenes such as “management of subordinates”, “management of quality” and “management of organization”.
summary
Management is how the entire organization is brought together to achieve results.
In recent years, the engineering industry has tended to demand “playing managers” who have both management and technical skills.
To perform duties as a manager, a wide range of skills such as communication skills and leadership are required in addition to management skills. All of these are elements that will help you grow significantly, so why not take this opportunity to think about management?
Visit the Facebook page Xtreme Techy if you’re ever interested in corresponding topics.
Related Articles>> [How is it different from freelance? ] Advantages and disadvantages of engineers working as nomads
