The number one thing I do as a manager that actually got to me enjoy the job was being responsible for setting expectations. In particular, getting a big say in contract writing. I negotiate the scope and staffing plan. I set the SLAs. I tell stakeholders what iterative delivery looks like, what we need from them to have a successful delivery and what my team can do for them.

The first project I scoped delivered almost to the day on schedule and on budget without burning the team. My next project we had a locked scope where I took one look and predicted disaster and it happened. Now I have enough credibility to make these decisions and set a team up for success.