You're an engineering team lead. How can you ensure your team's performance is always on track?

Setting right expectations and be disciplined in monitoring them . Create psychological safety among your team so that they feel safe to come to you with a negative news or update . Don’t blame the individual, create processes which are fool proof .

Setting the right expectations for your team is performance management 101. Most engineers do not know what their responsibilities are, and what is expected of them. It might sound obvious - like complete the tasks given to you, but there is so much more to it. A well structured career ladder usually gives this insight, along with setting a good framework of regular feedback and team alignment.

As an engineering team lead, maintaining optimal team performance involves clear goal-setting, effective communication, and empowerment of team members with autonomy. Prioritize continuous skill development, provide regular feedback, and foster a collaborative work environment. Implement efficient project management practices, ensure balanced workloads, and stay abreast of relevant technologies. Recognize and reward achievements, organize team-building activities, and remain adaptable to feedback and evolving project requirements. This comprehensive approach ensures a motivated, cohesive team delivering consistently high performance.

In my perspective, defining clear goals and expectations is the foundation of any successful engineering project. Without a clear vision of what you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it, and why it matters, you risk wasting time, money, and resources on something that may not meet your needs or expectations. That’s why I always start any project by setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and communicating them clearly to my team and stakeholders. For example, when I worked on designing a new electric scooter, I defined the goal as creating a lightweight, eco-friendly, and affordable vehicle that can run for 100 km on a single charge, and be ready for mass production within 18 months.

The team performance should be aligned with the company's goal and it is responsibility of the team lead to ensure that the enabling ambience is made available. Specific individual targets and ways to achieve the same should be the starting point. Individuals are to be trained or reskilled for performing in any new task. It is also important to measure periodic performance and anything not attributed to the team member's purview should be kept out of the measurement. Feedback loop is to be created for continuous improvement.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have become one of the most common tool in performance management system (PMS). KPIs are cascaded from Corporate level to the strategic business unit (SBU) level and then to function/ product level to the individuals for monitoring the outcome. Various aspects like customer focus, technical improvement, financial performance, timely and quality deliverables, optimum cost levels, are important to be included. Also, it is crucial to have subordinate development as an important measure for team lead level.

One thing I’ve found helpful in tracking and measuring progress and results is to use a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators. Quantitative indicators are numerical data that can show how well you are performing against your goals, such as budget, schedule, quality, and customer satisfaction. Qualitative indicators are descriptive feedback that can provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of your process, such as team morale, collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving.

Existem duas classes maiores de indicadores de desempenho do projeto: para os stakeholders e para os participantes do projeto. Cada classe tem objetivos diferentes. Os indicadores para os stakeholders devem comunicar o progresso do projeto, áreas bloqueadas, e se as entregas estão acontecendo e suas evidências - e de forma sucinta e fácil de ler. Os indicadores para os participantes do projeto tem o objetivo de comunicar se o projeto está nos trilhos, e se as entregas de cada participante estão dentro dos limites de qualidade do projeto. Uma boa apresentação de indicadores não pode gerar dúvidas, e se gerar, devem ser respondidas usando os próprios indicadores. Se não for possível, é uma lacuna de indicadores.

You can't manage what you don't measure. Use metrics and KPIs to track your team's progress. This could include code commits, bug resolution rates, or project completion times. Implement regular status updates and review sessions to evaluate these metrics. Tools like JIRA or Trello can be invaluable for tracking tasks and deadlines. Remember, the goal of tracking is not to micromanage but to identify areas where your team is excelling and where improvements are needed.

For tracking utilize project management tools to track tasks, deadlines, and milestones. Hold regular team meetings or check-ins to review progress, identify any bottlenecks or issues, and adjust plans as necessary. This ensures that the team stays focused and on track to meet their targets.

Encouraging teamwork is really about understanding that everyone in a team is unique. People communicate differently and need different kinds of feedback at different times. An engineering manager needs to be attuned to these personal nuances, which significantly influence the team's dynamics. Collaboration is about human interaction and the ability to understand how the team prefers to work together. The key to good teamwork is trust and psychological safety, something that tools can't fix if it's not there in the first place. Remember, tools can only help in efficiency and increase of opportunities to connect, and as an engineer manager, you are responsible for creating that foundation of trust and only then make use of the tools.

It is said that we need to build a team so strong that people cannot differentiate who is the leader and who the members are. The cohesiveness is the quintessential quality of a team. Achieving the impossible tasks is made possible when team operates with perfect blend of individuals capabilities. Collaboration among the team members ensures there is no void in team's performance. Ownership traits see upward among the team members.

While in a Team Lead role recently, I did three things, which helped foster collaboration and communication on my team: 1) Group chat - Using a Slack group DM or private channel will allow team members to be themselves, ask for help, and support each other. 2) Face-to-face group meeting - Schedule recurring face-to-face time with your team and don't bring an agenda! People need to let off steam, talk about non-work stuff, and get to know each other. This helps build a team centered on trust and respect. 3) 1:1s - Set up 1:1s with everyone on your direct team. Listen carefully to their joys and frustrations. Help out where you can and share common pain points with senior leadership.

In my experience, fostering collaboration and communication is essential for any engineering team to perform well. Engineering projects are complex and require the input and expertise of different disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, software, and industrial design. Therefore, it is important to create a culture of trust, respect, and openness among your team members, and to facilitate effective communication across different channels and platforms.

A comunicação dos objetivos, responsabilidades, prazos e estratégias de resolução para cada participante do projeto também é importante. Tratar o componente humano como humano é a garantia que o KPI/OKRs, ou qualquer outra forma de medir desempenho humano, é um indicador confiável, e quem deve ter a maior confiança no indicador e cuidar da comunicação é o líder de projeto, é sua responsabilidade última.

To keep your team motivated and performing well, start with clear goals - everyone should know what they're shooting for. Regularly give praise and constructive feedback; it guides and shows you value their efforts. Foster teamwork by encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing. Ensure they have the necessary tools and support to excel in their roles. Always listen to their ideas and feedback, acting on them when possible – it demonstrates respect and trust in their expertise. Keep an eye on workload balance to prevent burnout and maintain engagement. Lastly, create a positive, safe environment where everyone feels encouraged to grow, take risks, and innovate.

You must establish clarity and trust. This role goes beyond just setting clear objectives; it involves identifying parallel development paths that advance the team beyond the current project. Empower the team to choose their growth paths by defining goals and guiding them in creating specific tasks for each. You aim is to help the team achieve a state of flow while learning. Ensure tasks are tailored to their workload, level of knowledge, and individual motivations. Finding this balance is key to maintaining momentum and motivation. Over time, you'll create an environment of continuous learning and clear career development paths. Many team members might struggle with choosing a direction. That's where your guidance becomes valuable.

O desenvolvimento individual e da equipe não vai acontecer se a empresa não oferecer um ambiente de trabalho que motive este desenvolvimento. Praticas como competição interna exacerbada, atrito constante, retrabalho, falta de plano de carreira e alta rotatividade irão arruinar qualquer esforço que o líder de projeto tenha para desenvolver a equipe.

There is no bigger motivation than finding a purpose in what we do. Seemingly routine work can also be important and a must for any organization and team leader has to ensure that it gets done with the desired level of accuracy and quality. Delegation is crucial in such a scenario. It gives ownership to the team member to perform. Coaching the team mates brings the better side of their professional conduct.

In my view, empowering and motivating your team is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an engineering team lead. Engineering projects are often challenging and demanding and require a lot of creativity, passion, and dedication from your team members. Therefore, it is important to recognize their efforts, celebrate their achievements, and support their growth and development. Empower and motivate your team by giving them autonomy and ownership over their tasks, by providing them with constructive feedback and coaching, by encouraging them to learn new skills and technologies, and by rewarding them with incentives and recognition.

I’m still working on this myself, but here’s what I learned so far. Adapting and improving continuously is a key skill for any engineering team lead, as engineering projects are dynamic and unpredictable, and require constant innovation and improvement. Therefore, it is important to embrace change, learn from failures, and seek feedback and opportunities for improvement. Earlier in my career, I used to resist change and stick to my original plans, but I realized that I could achieve better results by being flexible and adaptable, and by applying the principles of continuous improvement, such as Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), Lean, and Six Sigma.

Nobody is perfect. We all have to work on ourselves every moment to become better than before. Assessment of re-skilling required for improved performance is the first step in infusing new perspective and training interventions. It is easier to conduct technical training. Behavioural training is what needs more concerted effort. Knowing the personality traits of the team member and suitable intervention for improvement is needed. Organizations also encourage employees to go for acquiring new certification/ degrees aligned with the larger goal. Activity based training, role-plays help professionals acquire first hand knowledge and skills to grow in their career. Also, suitable feedback on efficacy of such measures should be operative.

Continuous learning requires adaptability. Cultivate a culture free of attachment and ego towards one's ideas, code, or solutions. Needs will constantly change, especially now, as production cycles get shorter and AI could enable engineers to iterate faster. The best tools for staying ahead are quick experimentation, research, and being open to feedback. I use Ryan Holiday’s mantra “Ego is the enemy” from his book, to emphasize that humility and openness are key to learning. I believe this mindset can lead to better problem-solving, collaboration and team improvement. Don't confuse ego with confidence. Encourage your team to be confident by trusting their abilities and sharing their ideas backed by reasoning and evidence.

Una buena forma de perseguir la alta adaptabilidad y la mejora continua es mantener sesiones 1:1 con cada integrante del equipo de tal forma que se les hace un seguimiento, estableciendo objetivos y siendo responsables de facilitar todos los recursos necesarios para que puedas desarrollar con garantías su carrera profesional. Este tipo de dinámicas deben de ser bidireccionales y abiertas, donde se cotejen los progresos y se midan de forma efectiva los puntos de mejora y los logros conseguidos.

Draft a plan for continuous learning amongst team members. Regularly evaluate the team's performance and processes to identify areas for improvement. Solicit feedback from team members, stakeholders, and customers to gather insights and perspectives. Use this feedback to make data-driven decisions and implement changes that optimize efficiency, effectiveness, and performance. Be flexible and adaptive, willing to iterate and adjust plans as needed to ensure ongoing success.

One thing I’ve found helpful in using software for managing engineering teams is to choose the right tools for the right purposes and to integrate them seamlessly. Engineering projects involve a lot of data, information, and communication, and require the use of various software tools, such as project management, design, simulation, testing, documentation, and collaboration tools. Therefore, it is important to select the tools that best suit your needs and preferences, and that can work together smoothly and efficiently.

Simple software like one-note or Microsoft teams can be used to manage teams. Such as: 1. One-note to keep track of the projects that are currently run by your team. Assuming you are managing a number of engineers, and each of them are working on one or more projects, keeping different tabs in checking the deadlines, noting the updates and future actions help a lot in organizing. 2. Microsoft teams is also a great choice in closer management of projects run by your team. Let's say 2 engineers who you manage are working on a project, that requires collaboration from process, controls, production and maintenance engineering. A common chat group including representatives from the teams to ask and provide updates is quite convenient.

Softwares simples como excel resolvem o problema de gerenciar projetos, contanto que a informação esteja centralizada, controlada e atualizada. Projetos com níveis de complexidade maiores, muitas fontes de informação, e níveis de controle detalhado exigem softwares especializados de engenharia de sistemas, e estes tem curvas de aprendizado e exigem que a equipe e o líder trabalhando conheçam rituais de trabalho especializados da área. Considere que cada vez que o formato de organização de trabalho muda, ou mudam os softwares de gestão, a chance de atraso do projeto aumenta devido perda de informação.

As best as we can... Always keep motivation meter at high level. Work hard to maintain the meter at high level. It is not an easy journey but it can be done with the unity of all member.

In my perspective, there are some other factors that can affect your engineering team’s performance, such as the organizational culture, the leadership style, the team composition, and the external environment. Therefore, it is important to consider these factors and how they can influence your team’s behavior, motivation, and performance. For instance, when I worked on developing a new component for the medical industry, I had to consider the organizational culture of the client, the leadership style of the project sponsor, the team composition of the engineers and the doctors, and the external environment of the regulatory and ethical standards.

Lead by example and show your team members what good looks like. Show genuine interest in how everyone is doing, set clear expectations, and help everyone set healthy boundaries that help them perform at work without neglecting everything else about their lives - something high-performers often overlook. Understand the impact of psychological safety in high-performing teams, then cultivate an environment where your team feels safe to come to you with negative news or updates. Focus on creating processes that make great work feel inevitable.

While the above points lay a solid foundation, don't forget the human element. Pay attention to team dynamics and individual well-being. Promote a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout. In case of conflicts, act swiftly to mediate and resolve issues. Also, be aware of industry trends and advancements. Encourage your team to stay updated and provide opportunities for learning and development. A great team lead is not just a manager, but a leader who inspires, supports, and grows with their team.

If you've made it down this far here's the truth. Most organizations are horribly poor on meeting their time to completion metrics. Oftentimes projects are being driven by managers or project engineers who have not spent enough time to understand the technical time frames and limitations of certain tasks and as a result overestimate their teams commitment or ability to execute. Projects especially ones with heavy amounts of manufacturing and testing will be late. Building in buffer and having experienced members who can help find solutions in regards to common problem solving will be invaluable. Don't limit your team members to just the core group. Plus there's a qualified staff shortage, so don't stress out too much.