What a good manager should know

Before starting this blog I would like to make it perfectly clear that it is not aimed at any individual or any organisation that I have worked with. It is intended to make a general point with no specific reference to any specific individual(s).

I’ve had this discussion several times with friends and colleagues in the past, and it came up again recently with a work colleague. The discussion revolves around the issue of how much knowledge should a manager need to know about what his team does, in order to be an effective manager. In most cases, a manager will have progressed up the career ladder in the line of work in which they subsequently find themselves as a manager. So taking my own line of work within software development, a typical career path may be:

· Trainee software developer
· Software developer
· Senior software developer / Team leader
· Software manager

So it’s fair to say that by the time a person becomes a software manager, they should have a pretty good understanding of what their team does, the roles and responsibilities of the team members, and the key skills and knowledge that are required.

However, I have come across several managers who lack this essential knowledge. They are managers pure and simple. They do their team’s appraisals, manage the team’s budgets and Performance Indicators, but lack the knowledge specific to their team. They are to all intents and purposes, general purpose managers, with no real knowledge of the specialist skills and expertise of their team. They could be placed into any team, anywhere, and manage that team – without ever knowing exactly what the team actually does, or how it does it.

I’m not saying that you necessarily need to have an in depth understanding of what every team member does, that would be wholly impractical. That is why you have team members who have those specialist skills. It is their responsibility to understand the area in which they work in as much detail as is necessary to perform that role. Equally though, this does not imply that the manager can delegate that knowledge entirely to the team either. While the team members may perform their allotted roles, using whatever specialist knowledge they need to do so, the manager at the very least needs a basic understanding of those roles and responsibilities.

One of the roles of a manager is to provide direction and make decisions. How can you make decisions without understanding what your team does? How can you know what is achievable and realistic, or what is even possible?

While not every software developer will make a good software manager, or even aspire to be one, the best software managers in my experience have been those that have progressed up their chosen career path. One obvious advantage of this route to management is that you also have the respect of your team. They know you have done the same or similar job to them in the past, and can talk from experience. They know you understand their daily challenges, and can sympathise with their problems. They know you understand their role and what it entails, as you have done it in the past. So while you may have forgotten some of the detail of how to perform that role, you understand what it involves from a high level perspective. Never underestimate the value of respect within a team, particularly if you’re the one who is trying to win it!

In my opinion, to be an effective manager, you need to understand the various roles and responsibilities of your team, preferably from hard won experience. This will ensure you can make informed decisions, and that you have gained the respect of your team.

What use is a general purpose manager?

A while ago, I wrote an article about what makes a good manager. One of the assets that I thought a good manager should possess is domain knowledge. They should understand (even if only in broad terms) what the team does. A full understanding and appreciation of what your team does is important.

I would therefore fully expect a Finance manager to have a good understanding of finances, a Human Resources manager to have a good understanding of Human Resources and so on. It seems pretty obvious, but there seem to be managers who do not possess this domain knowledge.

Being able to monitor your team's finances, manage their appraisals and other such managerial duties is the bare minimum I would expect from my manager. All managers should possess these skills. Above and beyond having these basic managerial skills though, I would expect them to have a sound and broad knowledge of their particular domain.

As the manager of a Development Team, I have a broad and deep understanding of technology. I work hard to keep myself abreast of new and emerging technologies. I fully understand what my team does, what we are delivering, how it can be delivered and what is possible.

More importantly, I am capable of making decisions. This is one of the vital duties of a manager. By fully understanding what my team does, and taking an active part in the day-to-day work of my team, gives me a deep understanding of what we do, which allows me to make decisions on behalf of my team.

I am very much a hands-on manager, and get involved in much of the day-to-day work, because this is the work that I enjoy the most. As a manager, I also have to undertake all the other managerial duties as well though.

I genuinely fail to see how you can make decisions without understanding what your team does. I could of course ask the team, and I would expect any manager to do this anyway. However, the final decision would need to be made by the manager, as this is ultimately their responsibility, and is what they are being paid for.

If they can't make those decisions, then why are they in charge?

What makes a good manager?

Having been a manager now for just over two years, I thought it would be useful to outline the qualities that I think make a good manager. I am the Senior Systems Developer, and also the manager of the Development Team for East Northamptonshire Council, where I am involved in the development of their web portals (intranet, web site), application development (using the Microsoft .Net framework), developing Sharepoint solutions, and basically anything that involves some aspect of software development. So what behaviours and qualities make a good manager? Most of us are managed in our place of work, and some of us are also managers, so we all have an idea of what makes a good manager. So here is my list of what I think makes a good manager:

• Domain knowledge - a good manager needs to have a broad and sound understanding of what their team does. They do not necessarily need to get involved in the details of the day-to-day jobs, but they should understand the big picture. As a Development Team manager, I have a sound understanding of software and web related tools and technologies, and how they apply to the organisation.


• Understand the business - the manager needs to see where the role of their team fits into the goals of the business or organisation as a whole. As the manager is also tasked with giving direction to the team, they need to ensure that the goals of the business and their team are synchronised.


• Inspire and motivate - a team that is motivated and inspired are capable of anything, and can achieve goals and targets that might previously have been thought beyond them. A manager needs to give positive reinforcement and encouragement to their team on a daily basis.


• Good communicator - managers are the conduits through which information flows from senior management down to the team. A manager needs to be able to give concise and consistent messages and information to their team, and reinforce the objectives of the business. To do this requires good communications skills.


• Networking skills - a manager is almost certainly going to have to work with other managers and people outside their immediate team or department. A manager needs to build strong relationships with others. Good working relationships are vital in all aspects of work, and are good for the business or organisation as a whole.

I have not included tasks or duties that a manager performs, such as budget setting or team appraisals, as these are not qualities or behaviours. They are simply tasks they have to perform in their role as a manager.


It's certainly not easy being a manager, and some are better at it than others, but with a little perseverance, everyone can get better at it. What can help is to have a good role model. Watching, listening and learning from a good manager can make the process of self improvement much easier.