This 90-Day Plan Turns Engineering Leaders Back into Frontline Developers

David Loftesness has deftly cycled between management and IC roles throughout his career. Here, he lays out a plan to help engineering leaders make a smooth transition back into the technical weeds.

Common scenarios for a lane switch

Loftesness has observed a host of reasons that push EMs to return to IC work — and he’s had different motivations each time he made the switch. He sketches out the three most common candidates for this transition, alongside what each should keep in mind before making the decision official.

The new EM who’s not fit for management: Look before you leap

It’s a familiar story: a talented engineer who communicates well is rewarded with a management role and a host of new responsibilities. But with little to no training or mentorship, the new manager can easily crash and burn.

“ I run a training course for engineers considering a management role — and I consider it a good outcome if roughly a third of the participants decide not to make the jump,” says Loftesness.

The seasoned EM who wants to get closer to the tech: Prepare for a steep (re-)learning curve

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the senior EM who’s forged a career in management. They’ve successfully scaled teams, produced great outcomes and found leading others deeply fulfilling. But years fly by and one day, they zoom out of their planning meetings and 1:1s only to realize it’s been years since they shipped a single line of code.

The burnt-out EM who needs a break: Plan for a management hiatus

Even the best managers get burnt out. Daily meeting marathons, working nights and weekends, being on the hook for quarterly goals — and being responsible for your team’s happiness — can start to take a toll.

Loftesness has been in this boat, too. The first time he scaled back his management duties was for personal reasons. While a Senior Manager at Amazon, his first child was born. He’d enjoyed his run as a manager, but the demands of parenthood forced a change.

Brace for these psychological roadblocks

Whether it’s been a year or over a decade since you last contributed code on a daily basis, settling back into developer rhythms won’t happen overnight. It’ll take some time to retrain your coding brain — which will bring all sorts of pesky emotions. Some awkwardness with your new teammates. Remember when you first started managing and your peers suddenly became your direct reports? The same is true in reverse.

The 90-day plan

Once you’ve decided the switch back to IC is right for you, you’ll face two options: find a parallel rung on the IC ladder within your current company — or seek a new role elsewhere.

Loftesness would recommend making an internal transition, if possible. “It's ideal to make the change within your current company where you have working relationships and lots of context,” he says.

Before day 1: Break the news to your manager and help find your successor

Put together a transition plan.

First, ask yourself: Is there someone at the company who’s ready to step into my manager role? Take some time to think about succession planning before you tell your manager.

Days 1-30: Communicate the transition and refresh your tech setup

This first month, focus on explaining your transition to the team and getting your replacement up to speed. Close out this phase of your management career by staving off disruption and ensuring a smooth handoff to your successor.

Days 30-60: Settle into the maker schedule

Around the one-month mark comes the exciting part — it’s time to shed your management duties and get fully back into the coding mindset. But remember that you can’t have your code and be a manager, too.

Days 60-90: Learn and lead with humility

“By now you have enough context to set specific goals for yourself and measure your progress,” says Loftesness. “Use these 30 days to build a training plan for the next 90 days.

After day 90: Take a temperature check on your new life as an IC

As you commit to your new routine and learning process, it’s a good time to take stock of how things are going — and how you’re feeling about this change.