What is the difference between an engineering manager and a data science manager? It's a question I find myself ruminating over almost constantly. There's tons of good thinking and writing about eng management out there, but I don't find that it always translates to the DS world.
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Siloing is a big problem for Type A DS, where one person has gone deep on an area and no one else can fill in. As a DS manager, who's supposed to keep the plates spinning regardless of staffing, this makes it stressful when your team is sick, on vacation, etc.
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It also makes it harder for DSes to collaborate. A team of two horses can pull more weight together than two horses working alone. Engineering teams, which are inherently more modular, function like teams of horses, and Type A DS teams function like individual horses.
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As a type A DS manager, it makes you wonder if you're really managing a team in the same way that an engineering manager is managing a team. There's less of a shared identity. It's hard to say what you're doing as a TEAM, rather than as individuals.
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Now, this all might sound like a lament, but I'm not necessarily saying that it's a bad thing. Type A DS teams are viewed as important (maybe even essential) partners much of the time, and an embedded, verticalized team structure usually generates good outcomes for a company.
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It's not bad, but it is different. There are some days where I what the hell my job as a DS manager is even supposed to be, but thinking through the differences helps bring me some clarity.
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End of conversation
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Great thread. This tweet sums up much of my Data Science consulting experience, i.e. that you are not offering a well-defined product but a service rendered on top of a relationship and trust. The hard part for me was always to keep eng practices+expectations from seeping in.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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