The document discusses the role and responsibilities of a technical lead. It describes the speaker's journey to becoming a technical lead. The main responsibilities of a technical lead include having a clear technical vision, managing projects successfully, making unbiased technical decisions, addressing skill gaps on the team, and growing the next technical lead. It provides advice on how technical leads can accomplish their job through leadership, facilitation, mentoring, empowering their team, and removing blockers. It also discusses important skills like managing risk, engaging with business stakeholders, and balancing technical work with leadership duties.

1. L A A w a y D a y 2 0 1 4
BE A TECH LEAD
(Ricardo) Caval
rcaval@thoughtworks.com

2. MY JOURNEY
䡦 Became tech lead o my first job
䡦 By accident, was a small startup (5 people, 3 devs)
䡦 At Thoughtworks
䡦 Dev and then Tech lead at a project for a Large Energy
Company
䡦 Tech lead in a project for a Brazilian communication
company
䡦 Dev at Large Retail Enterprise
䡦 Currently Tech lead at a project for the Large Retail
Enterprise
2

3. She has the technical delivery
responsibility of the project.
3
WHAT IS A TECH LEAD’S RESPONSABILITY?

4. Wait, wasn’t this a non-technical
talk?
4

5. ROLE OF A TECH LEAD AT THOUGHTWORKS [1]
Based on Sam Newman’s Tech Lead Manifesto [2]
䡦 Clear and consistent technical
vision
䡦 Successful project
䡦 Team, proper understanding
䡦 Gain trust and build relationship
䡦 Unbiased technical decision
䡦 Resolve issues [where the] code
deviates
䡦 Project management and risk
management
䡦 Influence decision
䡦 Environment in which all members
5
can contribute
䡦 Cross-functional requirement
䡦 Maintain accountability
䡦 Bring pragmatism
䡦 Address skill gaps
䡦 Grow the next tech lead

6. HOW DOES A TECH LEAD ACCOMPLISH ITS JOB?
䡦 Leadership
䡦 Facilitation
䡦 Mentoring & Coaching
䡦 Empowerment
䡦 Removing Blockers
6

7. TECH LEAD SKILLSET
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
7
Non-Tech
Tech

8. WELL-ROUNDED TECHICAL LEADER, BY DAN ABEL [3]
8

9. 9

10. ENGAGING WITH YOUR TEAM
䡦 Ensure safety
䡦 Facilitate Technical Discussion
䡦 And address conflict
䡦 Defines and demonstrates ‘good’
䡦 On boarding
䡦 Delegation & chorus
䡦 Leading and building people
10

11. DELEGATION
11
The Skill/Will Matrix
Low Skill High Skill
High
Will
Low
Will
GUIDE DELEGATE*
DIRECT EXCITE

12. Problem-solving leaders are well
aware that not every idea is useful for
every problem, but they are even more
aware that every person is useful.
12
FACILITATION

13. Leading the process is responsive to
people, giving them choices and
leaving them in control. They are
empowered in much the same way a
gardener empowers seeds—not by
forcing them to grow, but by tapping
the power that lies dormant within
them.
13
LEADING AND BUILDING PEOPLE

14. 14

15. ARCHITECTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
䡦 Governance
䡦 Think strategically, Set expectations
䡦 Draw the big picture
䡦 Back to the basics, SOLID, DDD
䡦 Coding
䡦 Peer review and Pairing
䡦 Ensure quality
䡦 Identify tech debt
䡦 Ask the team for pain points
15

16. ARCHITECTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
䡦 Structures emerging design
䡦 No-design --- Enough-design --- BDUF
䡦 Discuss design, gather tech feedback
䡦 Vision & Metaphor
䡦 Identify CFRs
䡦 Removes moral hazards
䡦 Prevent isolated rogue members
䡦 Raise the awareness of real world usage of the system
䡦 Release It!, by Michael Nygard
16

17. A TECH LEAD SHOUDN’T
䡦 Necessarily be the best at everything
䡦 Write no code
䡦 Write all the hard code
䡦 Tell everyone what to do
17

18. 18

19. MANAGING DELIVERY AND RISK
䡦 Risk Identification and Analysis
䡦 Spike the unknown, prove theories
䡦 Risk Mitigation
䡦 React quick and embrace change, rather than be
protective
䡦 Continuous Delivery
䡦 KISS
䡦 Jidoka
19

20. MANAGING DELIVERY AND RISK
䡦 Prioritization
䡦 Manage Technical Debt
䡦 New debt is easier
䡦 Trust and Reputation
High$
䡦 Communicate and
over communicate
䡦 Highlight successes
䡦 Don’t deny mistakes, talk
about what is being done to fix
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The$Urgent/Important$
Matrix$
Important Goals Critical Activities
Distractions Interruptions
Low$
Low$
Urgency High$
Importance
"What$is$important$is$seldom$urgent$and$what$is$urgent$is$
seldom$important."$$
=Eisenhower$

21. 21

22. ENGAGING WITH THE BUSINESS
䡦 Technical Point of Contact
䡦 Reporting
䡦 Frequent Communication with Seniors
䡦 Peer to to Product Owner, Project Manager and other
leads
䡦 Domain Knowledge
22

23. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
䡦 But I’m not a manager/appointed leader
䡦 Best working groups are those in which leadership
comes from everybody
䡦 Appointed leaders is the most likely to break down,
because of pressure
䡦 But I’m not the Leadership type
䡦 Lead by innovation, instead of by motivation or
organization
23

24. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
䡦 I’m loosing my technical skills
䡦 It’s hard to let go of coding and pairing
䡦 Leadership balances motivation, organisation and
innovation
䡦 It is a trade-off: Technical/innovative skills give place to
motivational and organisational skills
䡦 I don’t want to be all days in meetings
䡦 It also represents the opportunity to influence
decisions and direction
24

25. OBRIGADO!
25

26. REFERENCES
䡦 [1] Role of a Tech Lead
䡦 [2] Sam Newman’s Tech lead Manifesto
䡦 [2] Dan Abel’s Well Rounded Tech lead series
䡦 [4] Becoming a Technical Leader, Gerald Weinberg