Now that you’ve seen some of the biggest challenges an engineering manager faces, it’s time to present some of the best tips for overcoming them.

Many of you may be wondering what the role of engineering managers actually is and how they differ from the rest. From a management perspective, engineering managers lead strategy meetings, coordinate with product and business teams, create timelines for specific projects, and ensure team satisfaction. Another area of focus for engineering managers is bringing on new team leaders, meeting with job candidates, and attending conferences. Now that we know what engineering managers do, let’s find out what the most common challenges they face are.

Engineering Managers Biggest Challenges: How Are They Overcome?

Challenge 1: High SDLC Blockers, and Low Workflow Visibility

How to Overcome High SDLC Blockers and Low Workflow Visibility?

Engineering managers should prioritize enhancing visibility into the software development life cycle (SDLC) and workflows to address this challenge. By gaining a clear picture of each phase of development, from planning to execution and customer deliveries, managers can identify bottlenecks and optimize processes.

Utilizing indicators beyond high-level metrics and centralizing process indicators in one place provides comprehensive visibility. This allows managers to create action plans, reconfigure team time and tasks, and build trust within the team.

Challenge 2: Broken Communication

How to Overcome a Broken Communication Challenge?

Effective communication is vital for successful team collaboration. Engineering managers should focus on resolving communication issues and aligning software teams.

Automated standup tools for your communication stack (Slack, Teams, Emails) can help engineering leaders in knowing the daily work tasks, and progress made, and even identify blockers on the go. This balanced approach ensures managers stay informed while actively resolving development barriers.

Challenge 3: Developer Burnout

Solution to Overcome Developer Burnout Challenge

Addressing developer burnout requires empathy and proactive measures. Engineering managers should understand the causes of burnout, ranging from overwhelming ad-hoc requests to dysfunctional work conditions.

Challenge 4: Unsustainable Workload

Solution to Overcome Unsustainable Workload

Engineering managers need to figure out achievable (and practical) ways to distribute work, especially by keeping all members on the same page. One way is to use data-driven visibility for managing your dev’s workplate: PR reviews, interview load, WIP tasks, and more. It is easier to plan productive work this way, and even create happy developers as an added outcome.

Challenge 5: Poor Developer Experience

Solution to Overcome Poor Developer Experience

Protecting developer experience is essential for retaining talent and fostering team cohesion. Engineering managers should focus on improving the workflow, reducing code review periods, addressing workload imbalances, and minimizing technical debt.