Uncontrollable stream of consciousness.. whatever.
Do organizations still need Engineering Managers, Senior EMs, and Directors when AI handles code generation and testing?
Yes, because people remain the constant. While AI accelerates execution, humans still need specs clarification, idea shaping, cross-functional alignment, and growth opportunities.
Engineering Manager (EM)
The EM focuses on filters, facilitates ideation, grows people across their squad:
Morning: Reviews AI dashboards and clarifies scope with cross-functional partners to prevent fuzzy specifications that lead to poor AI outputs.
Midday: Runs ideation sessions with the squad, maintaining momentum while channeling ideas toward testable specifications.
Afternoon: Conducts 1:1 coaching sessions and translates external compliance/platform requirements into lightweight work for the squad.
End of Day: Synthesizes cross-functional signals (product, design, compliance) into clear narratives the squad can execute against.
Good EMs: Filter chaos and grow people.
Poor EMs: Either overwhelm squads with noise or shield them excessively, causing drift.
Senior Engineering Manager (Sr. EM)
The Sr. EM operates at squad-group scale, developing managers and ensuring consistency:
Morning: Scans across multiple squads to identify duplication and alignment gaps.
Midday: Coaches EMs on managing cross-functional tension and productive brainstorming without scope drift.
Afternoon: Aligns with Directors and product leadership on investment decisions; brings AI adoption metrics to conversations.
End of Day: Prepares summaries on AI ROI, innovation drivers, and burnout risks.
Strong Sr. EMs: Develop future leaders.
Ineffective Sr. EMs: Become status reporters or reactive firefighters.
Engineering Director
The Director connects engineering to business outcomes:
Morning: Aligns with product/business leaders on strategic investments and whether execution actually moves the business.
Midday: Reviews Sr. EM reports focusing on leadership development and AI-driven ROI rather than line-by-line status.
Afternoon: Develops strategy balancing short-term features with platform health, providing direction for squad-level autonomy.
End of Day: Signals to executives where engineering unlocks velocity and where risks emerge.
Effective Directors: Bridge engineering and business.
Poor Directors: Stay disconnected in spreadsheets.
The Core Thesis
Squads of four as the building block, leadership orbiting around them. AI runs at full speed, but humans still provide direction, creativity, and culture.
Management shifts from controlling work to managing clarity, innovation, and sustainability.
To Infinity and Beyond! ;)