Gain insights into performance management for engineering teams. Discover how to set clear expectations, design performance metrics, and provide constructive feedback to enhance team productivity and accountability.

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A manager is responsible for assigning tasks to the team members, keeping tabs on the progress, and analyzing their performance. A good manager must know their strengths and use them accordingly.

This course covers the essentials of performance management in engineering teams. You’ll learn the importance of setting clear expectations and the difference between individual and collective accountability. You’ll learn the importance of performance metrics and design them for your team. Next, you’ll explore ways to keep your team motivated and provide each team member with constructive feedback. You’ll learn how to decide when to let a team member go, including planning for a successor.

By the end of this course, you’ll have learned to apply processes and practices to monitor the performance of your team. You’ll be able to provide timely and constructive feedback to your team, including performance reviews. In addition, you’ll be able to balance a team with members having varying performances and competencies.

Effective Performance Management for Engineering Teams

We spoke more of this in the "Motivation" section of this course, but as a refresher, remember that rewards and motivation fall into two core categories: "extrinsic" motivation, wherein an individual engages in a task or behavior for "external" reasons (such as fear of termination, or getting a bonus), and "intrinsic" motivation, wherein an individual engages in tasks/behaviors due to feelings or goals coming "from within" (such as, simply, the desire to do a good job, or the pleasure gained from being able to show off the work to friends and family, and so on). By their very nature, rewards like the ones being discussed in this section are "extrinsic," and as such, less effective than the "intrinsic" rewards that (we hope) come along with the work.

That said, however, it is possible to "tap into" the intrinsic motivation of team members, if we are aware of what that intrinsic motivation is and how it carries into their work. Some factors that promote intrinsic motivation include:

* **Curiosity.** Curiosity pushes us to explore and learn for the sole pleasure of learning and mastering.
* **Challenge.** Being challenged helps us work at a continuously optimal level work toward meaningful goals.
* **Control.** This comes from our basic desire to control what happens and make decisions that affect the outcome.
* **Competence.** We look for ways to improve skills, whether work-related or not. (This is sometimes in conjunction with "control," since improved skills give us more control over our ability to make good decisions to affect the outcome.)
* **Recognition.** We have an innate need to be appreciated and get satisfaction when our efforts are recognized and appreciated by others. (This does not always mean "public recognition"---however, learning that I have earned the respect of colleagues I admire can mean much, much more than the applause at a company all hands, for example.)
* **Cooperation.** Cooperating with others satisfies our need for belonging. We also feel personal satisfaction when we help others and work together to achieve a shared goal.
* **Competition.** Competition poses a challenge---whether internal, such as "can we overcome this obstacle?" or external, such as "can we accomplish an outcome before another team?"---and increases the importance we place on doing well.


Learn to distinguish between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, leverage intrinsic factors, and focus on individual preferences.

Introduction

Overview of Performance Management

The Need for Clear Expectations

Accountability

Metrics

Motivation

Feedback

Performance Reviews

Corrections

Termination/Separation

Rewards

The Development of Talent

Conclusion

Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation