The Tech Lead (TL) is accountable for the technical/architectural approach and engineering quality the organization delivers
A Tech Lead is a formal role that is added to an engineer’s normal responsibilities. Becoming does not result in a change in title, and people can switch in and out of this role on different teams based on what is the best fit for the team and individual at that time.
Tech Lead is a leadership role. The technical success & output of their products is more important than the code they themselves write.
Accountabilities
- If the technical/product solution the team chooses doesn’t solve the problem, it’s on the TL
- If the team is doing big upfront architecture rather than working out how to break features into vertical slices that add value, it’s on the TL
- If the quality of the code/design the team is putting out isn’t good (lots of defects, low test coverage) or performance is slow, it’s on the TL
- If the team doesn’t have good engineering practices (like CI & unit tests), it’s on the TL
- If the team isn’t addressing tech debt & it’s impacting their ability to deliver it’s on the TL
Responsibilities
Goals & planning
- Work with PM/Lead Engineer/Designer to create key results for squads
- Work with PM/Designer to craft/shaping product/solutions that works
- Work with PM/Designer to suggest hypotheses/technology opportunities & ways to validate them
- Work with PM/Designer to discuss approach & size of larger releases/features - look for ways to break into smaller pieces that add value & discuss risks & mitigations
- Ensure the squad understands how the sprint & the stories in it ladder up into OKRs & the company priorities
- Lead necessary tradeoff decisions with the PM, Designer, and team
Backlog & Story Grooming
- Work with PM to ensure epics & stories have a clear goal, are user focussed & have clear acceptance criteria
- Work with PM/Designer to validate feasibilities and propose other opportunities technologies