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Let’s Talk About Control
In software engineering, control and autonomy aren’t just nice to have—they’re non-negotiable. Whether it’s managing cloud infrastructure or deciding what goes into the backlog, the teams responsible for delivering results need to have the final say. Let’s dive into why that matters.
When Someone Else Owns Your Foundations
Think about it—would you build a house on land that someone else controls? Probably not. The same goes for software engineering. If another team owns the foundational pieces of your system, you’re at their mercy.
Example: IT Controlling Cloud Networking Instead of Engineering
Here’s a classic scenario: IT takes ownership of cloud networking instead of the engineering team. Sounds harmless, right? Not so much.
- Slower Adaptation: Engineering is about innovation and quick adaptation. When IT manages cloud networking, the agility to respond to changes is compromised. Engineering teams become limited by the pace and mindset of external groups, which might not be attuned to the pressing demands of development environments.
- Extra Process Overhead: IT has its own workflows and priorities, which may not align with the fast-paced world of software development. What seems routine to IT can be an unnecessary hurdle for engineers.
- Inherited Bottlenecks: If IT is swamped, engineers have no choice but to wait. Their priorities get tangled up with IT’s constraints, slowing everything down.
Engineers Should Own Their Backlog
An engineering team’s job isn’t just to write code—it’s to build, maintain, and evolve products. That includes managing technical debt and ensuring the system remains scalable and stable.
The Problem with External Backlog Management
When a non-technical team controls the engineering backlog, things start slipping through the cracks:
- Technical Debt Piles Up: Features take priority over maintenance, and over time, the system becomes fragile, slow, and hard to work with.
- Long-Term Costs Stack Up: Neglecting technical debt doesn’t hurt immediately, but it can cripple a business in the long run. Maintaining and innovating on a fragile system gets expensive and frustrating.
Engineers Know Best
Engineers understand their systems inside and out. They know where the risks are, what needs fixing, and what’s crucial for long-term success. If they’re accountable for performance, uptime, and scalability, they should also have the autonomy to make decisions about their own work.
Wrapping Up
At its core, this isn’t about power—it’s about responsibility. When engineering teams control their foundational tools and decide their priorities, they can keep products stable, secure, and innovative. As tech grows more complex, organizations that empower their engineers will be the ones that stay ahead. So, if you’re in a leadership role, ask yourself—are you setting your engineering teams up for success, or are you holding them back?