Data Science & AI: Getting Buy-In & Demonstrating ROI | PagerDuty’s Sanghamitra Goswami
Plus, why an engineering manager shouldn't review code and a better way to build software.
In this episode of Dev Interrupted, we’re joined by Sanghamitra Goswami, Senior Director of Data Science and Machine Learning at PagerDuty. Sanghamitra shares her expertise in AI and data science, including how engineering teams can effectively leverage both within their organizations. She also explores the history and significance of LLMs, strategies for measuring success and ROI, and the importance of foundational data work.
The conversation ends with a discussion about practical applications of AI at PagerDuty, including features designed to reduce noise and improve incident resolution.
“Each phase should have a deliverable. It might not be a specific product or anything, it’s okay to be imperfect, but let's have a goal. And when we have a goal and when we have a plan at each phase, then big foundational work might seem achievable.
Although you cannot see ROI at 1 and 2, but since I know I can give you that ROI back at phase six. In that case, you'll be more convinced than me going to you and saying that, ‘Hey, I don't really know how to go to phase six, but we need to do phase one.’”
Episode Highlights:
00:56 LLMs importance for engineering teams
03:17 How should engineering leaders think about using AI in their products?
07:57 How can engineering leaders get executive buy-in for AI?
13:22 Are there ways to show ROI on an investment in AI?
15:08 How should you communicate with customers about AI in your product?
18:53 Finding the best use case for AI in your product
The Download
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable.
1. Why an engineering manager shouldn't review code
There’s ample discourse on how technical engineering managers should be in their role, but Emily Dresner’s article argues that once teams have 4 or more members, engineering managers no longer have the bandwidth to review code sufficiently due to the overhead of managing communications with their team.
Learn more about the relationship between team leads and EMs and managing communication pathways in Emily’s article: Why an Engineering Manager Should Not Review Code
2. A better way to build software
Sprints are supposed to help you structure software delivery and deliver faster, but what if they were actually slowing you down and harming your developer experience?
AJ Shankar’s recent blog asserts that sprints are contributing to burnout, worse code quality, and more technical debt. Instead, he’s adopted a different approach without rigorous deadlines and smaller, more autonomous teams that yielded better results.
Read: How Sprinting Slows You Down: A Better Way to Build Software
Software Engineering Intelligence: Exposed & In Action (Sponsor)
How can you drive developer productivity, lower costs, and deliver better products? On June 20th and 27th, LinearB is hosting a workshop that explores the software engineering intelligence category.
Get hands-on, practical guidance on streamlining your team’s workflows, enhancing collaboration, and accelerating your development cycles while improving quality.
3. Senior Engineer to Lead: Who to promote and how to train them
Whether you’re an engineering manager looking for your next engineer to promote to a team lead role, or an engineer looking to become a team lead,
points out one main trait you need to hone in on: credibility.4. How a Trained Therapist Diagnoses Healthy Dev Teams with Kelly Vaughn
Another major moment in Dev Interrupted history is when we first introduced our audience to
, who has since become a regular contributor and guest.In her debut episode, Kelly discussed her background as a therapist and how she leverages this to diagnose and lead healthy dev teams.
Upcoming Events
Software Engineering Intelligence: Exposed & In Action
June 20th or 27th | Online
Highlights: How can you drive developer productivity, lower costs and deliver better products? On June 20th and 27th, LinearB is hosting a workshop that explores the software engineering intelligence category.