Delivering a complex engineering project ahead of schedule with Nelly Sattari from Atlassian

A software project being at least a little bit late is almost an unwritten rule. For a highly intricate software project to be delivered on time seems almost impossible, but to be delivered ahead of the deadline? That’s unicorn territory!

Well, according to Nelly Sattari, Senior Engineering Manager at Atlassian, it’s not. At the Infobip Shift conference in Zadar, Nelly shared her first-hand experience and valuable lessons learned from delivering a highly intricate project ahead of schedule.

Setting and maintaining the momentum

It is achievable, provided that leaders sustain the momentum.

She explains that this involves setting clear goals, consistently communicating about risk, progress, and expectations, and celebrating every small success to keep the team motivated. Additionally, offering support, encouraging an open mindset, and being innovative in addressing team challenges are essential for maintaining momentum.

What is a complex engineering project?

What makes certain projects especially challenging and prone to becoming turbulent and out of control?

A complex engineering problem involves multiple interrelated factors, making it challenging to solve due to technical difficulties, risk, uncertainty, interdependencies, and resource constraints.

In her experience, several factors contribute to the complexity of a project that leaders should be aware of:

1. Technical Challenges and Customer Impact: A complex engineering problem that comes up when designing a solution is tough, and legacy issues make it even harder. For example, when technical debt piles up, the code gets messy, and every change risks causing serious issues. This means we have to be super careful and plan everything out.
   
2. Risk and Uncertainty: When your team is building something or using a new technology for the first time, there are many unknowns. Plus, with so many factors to consider—like cost, performance, and simplicity—it can be overwhelming to manage all the trade-offs.
   
3. Interdependencies: Complex projects often involve cross-organizational collaboration, which introduces additional challenges in synchronization and managing dependencies. The more teams involved, the harder it is to align efforts and ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction.
   
4. Time and Expertise Limitations: A tight timeframe makes it more challenging to deliver. 
   
5. Priorities: When your team has to handle multiple parallel workstreams, it becomes much harder for everyone to stay focused.

It is exactly these challenges that make complex engineering problems difficult to manage, requiring careful coordination, clear communication, and strong leadership to navigate successfully.

4 steps leaders must take

Leaders’ role is crucial, and Nelly advises several steps leaders can take to help their teams manage complex projects.   

She emphasizes that it’s not enough for leaders to declare the principles of managing such projects or even formalize the process—these steps must be implemented properly and effectively; otherwise, they may not be very beneficial:

• Clarify Ownership and Commitment: Ensure that teams understand the project’s value and their role in its success. Clear communication about the project’s importance and the expected outcomes helps align the team’s efforts and fosters accountability.
  
• Adopt Agile Practices: Use agile methodologies to manage projects more flexibly. This includes prioritizing tasks, deferring or scoping down aspects when necessary, and focusing on iterative progress. Emphasize effective planning and regular updates to keep track of project milestones.
  
• Ensure Focused Execution: Limit multitasking and context switching by prioritizing projects and making trade-offs where needed. Maintain team focus by shielding them from non-essential tasks and creating dedicated times for project-related activities.
  
• Maintain Team Health and Culture: Preserve team well-being and culture during intense project phases. Implement practices that support a healthy work environment, celebrating success and regular reflections on team dynamics.

Leadership starts before you earn the title

After a few years as an engineer and a tech lead, Nelly became interested in moving to a leadership role herself because she wanted to make a broader impact.

A few years ago, I formally stepped into the role of Engineering Manager, though I firmly believe that true leadership starts way before you earn the title; it’s about influencing decisions, leading by example, and being the change you seek.

In her role of senior engineering manager her days are packed with guiding both individuals and teams of technical leads, ensuring they have the tools and support they need to succeed. She also coaches engineers for their next steps and fosters a collaborative, high-performing team.

As a senior engineering manager Nelly oversees technical decisions, balancing trade-offs to maintain operational maturity and produce high-quality software. She is also responsible for the reliability, resiliency, and security of our products, managing incidents, and driving continuous improvement.

Despite being in back-to-back meetings, I manage to juggle project planning, budgeting, and stakeholder communication.
It’s almost like being a magician!