The Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP) documentation compliance review project, which was the primary purpose for which the company was created, was understaffed and at risk of ending without being completed.
The existing managers on the project did not have bandwidth to bring on more engineers. Additionally, I had never been a software development engineer (SDE) or managed a team of SDEs.
I took on the staffing and management of a new engineering team, both by mentoring the conversion of existing test developers to full SDEs and by hiring additional engineers to fill out the team to seven direct reports. I also acted as liaison to Microsoft and triage subject-matter expert for the issues raised by my team.
The project was completed on time, and the two most productive engineers in the organization, as measured by valid issues submitted during the final push, were members of my team. As a result, the company was able to satisfy its legal obligations and close successfully.
This experience shows my flexibility and ability to add value wherever the organization has a need, not just in my core skillset. It also shows my ability to build and motivate a team.