Making the Leap to Tech Lead

You’re a solid developer. You’ve built software people use, and it works well for them. Now, you want that next step—to lead a team that builds software.

Over nearly 20 years in this industry, I’ve acted as a Tech Lead many times, mentored dozens of developers towards technical leadership roles, and regularly worked with companies to hire and develop technical leaders.

In this talk, I’ll share the traits, skills, and experiences that shape a successful Tech Lead. We’ll talk about how a Tech Lead empowers and unlocks a team through communication, leadership, technical skill, and impact. We’ll look at what it means to manage yourself and the vital role a Tech Lead plays in building the right thing. We’ll also look at opportunities to grow your Tech Lead skills before you make the jump and how to show your boss that you’re ready.

Transcript

1. Ryan Cromwell MAKING THE LEAP TO TECH LEAD
2. Disclaimer: Framed by Sparkbox, our business, the culture we've developed, and my own background.
3. Making the Leap to Tech Lead A TECH LEAD IS...
4. A tech is the right hand to the project manager.
5. A tech lead is measured by the success of the team. https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-new-manager-death-spiral
6. A tech lead is regularly describing the technical vision.
7. A tech lead is a model of "how we work together". https://seesparkbox.com/foundry/successful_tech_teams_and_projects
8. A tech lead empowers and unlocks the team through communication, leadership, technical skill, and impact.
9. Making the Leap to Tech Lead TECHNICAL SKILL
10. Go-to expert in at least one area of the codebase. Technical Skill
11. Perfect person to debug some of the most opaque issues. Technical Skill
12. Finding and building seams in your architecture to enable the team to be productive and collaborate effectively. Technical Skill
13. Advocating for and building a robust build and delivery pipeline using the tools at your disposal to create feedback loops. Technical Skill
14. Making the Leap to Tech Lead COMMUNICATION & LEADERSHIP
15. Clearly and convincingly presenting ideas, vision, and architecture is a skill. Communication & Leadership
16. Mentor and teach other developers with grace. Communication & Leadership
17. Making the Leap to Tech Lead MANAGING PROJECTS
18. Give our customer/client, project manager, and team the ability to navigate to success. Managing Projects
19. Decompose work to avoid a single, large release. Managing Projects
20. With budgets and reasonably achievable iterations in mind, you'll be expected to provide forecasts. Managing Projects
21. Making the Leap to Tech Lead MANAGING SELF
22. It's essential that a tech lead deal effectively with pressure. Managing Self
23. Maintaining healthy relationships with users, clients, and team members. Managing Self
24. Making the Leap to Tech Lead IMPACT
25. Makes others better through code reviews, thorough documentation, technical guidance, and mentoring. Impact
26. Opportunities to evolve the architecture and open seams for the rest of the team. Impact
27. Making the Leap to Tech Lead GROWING
28. • Have a plan • Talk to your manager • Brag sheet (aka resume) • Partner Growing
29. Ryan Cromwell MAKING THE LEAP TO TECH LEAD
30. THANKS! @cromwellryan ryan@heysparkbox.com