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

Again, let's begin with the answer to the question in this lesson's title: when the individual's contribution is clearly defined and the expectations are clearly set.

It's often easy to identify when a team member didn't get the story done in time, which in turn created a cascading series of missed deadlines leading to the project missing its overall deadline. Remember, however, that software development is still a team sport---even if it's clear who missed the tackle, the whole team is the one that takes the loss when the game is over. Holding the individual accountable is important, to be sure, but it cannot end there. If that person couldn't get the story done in time, ask "why?" Was the story too difficult? Was there additional complexity that wasn't called out during planning and estimation? Were there extenuating circumstances that meant the amount of time available to finish the story was significantly reduced?


Individuals also need to be held accountable as individuals. When do we do that?

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

When Do We Hold an Individual Accountable?