karles

I'm working for an it-consultancy, and I've sort of gotten myself into a project manager/consultant role, where my job is to "own the backlog/sprint" as well as managing clients and their expectations.

I'm not an engineer/developer/programmer, although I have taken a few courses in actual programming during my time at University.

I realize there's a lot of "hate" towards non-technical it-project managers, and I'm painfully aware that I don't have the technical skills needed to line-up work for my devs. Sometimes I feel like I'm just taking notes, doing busywork, which pains me. Right now, I'm focussing on "shielding" my devs from managers/clients, by translating the business-needs of the clients to somewhat accessible backlog items (stories, features etc.) that I simply ask my team to complete with proper descriptions, estimates etc.

In other words - I try to help them understand what the end goal/needs looks like, and I leave it to them to create the architecture and estimate the workload. I then manage client expectations, and try to create the best possible environment for my developers.

I try not to meddle with the scoping/estimates of tasks - I merely ask questions that help me validate that what we're building is proportionate with the overall budget/timeframe. That's one principle I try to follow - leave estimates to the ones doing the actual work.

I realize there are a lot of technical people here. So my question is perhaps really quite simple:

- How do I best support my developers, given the fact that I'm in charge of progress and business outcomes?

I want to avoid being in their way, and at the same time, I want to bring valueable information to the table, when I ask them to build the architecture and estimate their work. I need tools, principles and guidelines on how to achieve this.

We're a consultancy who are currently in the planning-phase of a new initiative where we want to establish a professional network for our clients (or anyone else interested in the tools and products we work with).

In Denmark where we reside, we have a term called "ERFA-group" ("ERFA" is short for the danish word "Erfaring" which means "Experience" - thus an ERFA-group is a place for people to meet and exchange ideas). Typically an ERFA-group is a mix between a facilitated session (eg presentation of a daily topic) and an open discussion or workshop between the participants.

I've both hosted and participated in groups like this before, but I feel like the crowd here on HN could certainly help me improve on the concept. I'm sure quite a few people in here participate in professional networks like this one - either open source projects or just professionally related arenas in general.

The question is really:

- What is it that keeps you coming back to a group like this?

- What kills your motivation to join a group like this (eg "subtle selling from the organizer")?

- What traits do a good professional community have in your eyes?

- Would you ever be willing to pay to participate in a group like this?

- What are the most important take-aways for you, when you spend time in networks like these (networking, knowledge, inspiration, peer-reviews etc.)?