Attila Buturla

Over the past 13 years I've worked as a software developer, team leader, and manager at seven different organizations. Each was different in size, industry, and organizational structure. I'd like to think that at each job I've learned from what they did well, and possibly even more so from what was done poorly. While software development is not a new profession, compared to that of others it's still in it's infancy. While there are many different areas that one could focus on, I think one of the more interesting (to me at least) is what the role of a manager in the software field should be. Let me start off by setting a few things straight. In some organizations, especially ones in smaller companies, a manager may be involved in software development. However, I don't consider that person to be a true manager. The more appropriate term might be lead developer. If a manager is involved in software development, but that is not the focus of his or her role, then o