Tech Lead Handbook
Are you trying to make a perfect decision or no decision?
The What
How do you make quick and great decisions on the daily delivery process? Push the decision-making to the possible lowest level.
The How
Communicate the vision
- Why we are here and what are we trying to achieve as a team. Get it super clear.
- Focus more on the why and less on the what
- Provide more context to the team which helps them make efficient decisions.
Alignment
- Hard work in the right direction.
- Catch up (sync / async) with your Product Manager regularly, repeatedly, frequently.
- Align the tech roadmap with the product roadmap.
Autonomy
- Be more situational and give your direct reports more space to explore and grow
- Be supportive. Share context. Explain the why. Don’t be shy to share your thoughts.
- Try not to be too prescriptive unless you absolutely have to.
Delegate & Monitor
Regular check-ins, but how often? It depends on Task Relevant Maturity
- Start small and slowly build up the trust
- Collective and “clear” ownership 👉 Code Ownership
- Clarify goals and what does success look like
- Proactive updates from direct reports are needed
- At the end of the day, it is all your accountability
🔴 Red Flags
- Have unnecessary meetings for small decisions. // Can you delegate to the team?
- Look for absolute broader consensus for small decisions. // Unnecessary.
- Aim for perfect decisions. // Perfectionism is killing your team.
🗒 Tips
- Use frameworks for the decision-making process, e.g., DACI
- Think about ROI. How big the decision is and how much it costs to make that decision.
- There is more than one way to make a decision. Voting is just one of them.
🕳 Pitfalls
- Escalate every decision ⇒ micro-management
- Delegate without monitoring ⇒ unexpected failures
