Engineering Management In Product Engineering (with Ryan Murphy)

What does engineering management look like in a world where AI can write much of the code, and engineers are increasingly expected to think like product managers?

In this episode of The Product Engineering Podcast, James is joined by Ryan Murphy, founder of EM Accelerator and Crying on the Sofa, to explore the changing role of engineering managers and what it means to lead an effective Product Engineering team.

We discuss the relationship between engineering managers and product managers, why managers sometimes become unnecessary barriers between engineers and the wider business, and how to build teams that focus on outcomes rather than simply delivering features.

We also explore how AI is changing engineering management, why communication and stakeholder management are becoming more important, and whether engineering managers will need to become more hands-on again.

We cover:

• How the relationship between engineering managers and product managers affects team effectiveness
• Why engineering managers shouldn't act as gatekeepers between engineers and product
• How misunderstandings between product and engineering create unnecessary conflict
• Why engineers should spend time with sales, marketing and customer success to develop product understanding
• Celebrating product outcomes and learning rather than just technical excellence and delivery
• How AI coding tools are changing the skills engineers and engineering managers need
• Helping introverted engineers develop their communication and stakeholder management skills
• Using AI as a management assistant, sounding board and organisational tool
• The debate around AI-generated writing and preserving authenticity
• Why the human side of engineering management may become more important as AI takes on more technical work
• Supporting employees struggling with their mental health, and the importance of active listening

One of the central questions is whether AI will turn engineering managers back into hands-on developers, or whether the increasing importance of coaching, communication and team wellbeing will push the role further towards people leadership.

We finish by discussing mental health in engineering, including Ryan's experience and his work with Crying on the Sofa, an initiative aiming to start one million conversations about mental health.

Find Ryan:

• EM Accelerator: https://emaccelerator.com
• Crying on the Sofa: https://www.cryingonthesofa.org