The thing about SDM - line manager

In previous posts, I talked about what a SDE does, what a SDM does and my understanding of leveling among SDE I, II, III and above. I think it is only fair to also talk about SDM at different levels. Unlike the SDE role, SDM in different companies could have drastically different titles. In these essays I will focus on the responsibility and “growth” a SDM at each level needs to reach, rather than the grandiose titles one can claim. It is hard to cover all the levels in one post. I plan to use multiple posts to describe SDM as line manager, manager of manager and organization leader. Here is the first post of the serie: SDM of a frontline team, the “Line Manager”. The three keywords for line managers are: problem, project and process. As line manager, a SDM owns a clearly defined team charter that articulates the team’s mission and vision: why the team exists. When a problem (or an opportunity, or both) occurs, a good team charter allows members in and outside the team to easily tell “who” owns the problem. SDM at the line manager lever focuses mainly on project executions and process improvement with the team. They are problem solvers. When there is no existing process to solve a given problem, line managers lead their team to establish the right process that can solve similar problems in the future. A common question is how a line manager SDM is different from a team lead. Indeed many line manager SDMs are also technical leaders. But the main differentiator to me is if they manage the full life cycle of people management: hiring, performance review, compensation, promotion and low performaner management. Should a line manager SDM also be technical at work? Absolutely. But should them still code? It depends which company. In KMS we gradually settle down on a team formation that a line manager is always paired with a team lead. The team lead is usually a Sr. SDE (or soon to be). We find the SDM-Team Lead pair give us the right balance of Yin and Yang: SDM focuses on “what, when and who”, team lead focuses on “how”. They may not always agree with each other. In fact, a good team should have certain tension between its SDM and team lead because SDM focuses more on delivering results on time - the quantity part of a project; team lead focuses more on “how” the project is delivered - the quality part. We need both quantity and quality to achieve long term success. But both of them should agree on the “why” we are doing this project - its customer value. I’ve had many occasions that my team leads had passionate debate with me: they were perfect time for us to practice “Have back bone, disagree and commit”, and “Are Right, A Lot”. An overpowering SDM or an egocentric team lead can be both detrimental to the team’s health and productivity. That is why I would warn against having the same person playing the SDM and team lead role - it loses the check and balance of the separation of powers. #sdm #aws