Managing developers when you're a developer yourself

One of the more useful side effects of being able to code is that it makes you a better project manager, not a worse one. You can tell the difference between a task that's actually a two-hour fix and one that's being quietly under-scoped.

But it cuts both ways. Knowing how to build something makes it tempting to jump in and do it yourself instead of coaching someone else through it. I've had to learn when to step back and let the person doing the work make the call, even if I'd have made it differently.

The best version of this role isn't 'developer who also manages.' It's using enough technical grounding to ask better questions, set realistic timelines, and protect the team from scope that doesn't actually serve the product.