THE ZENOF TECH LEADING

Eryn O‟Neil • @eryno

• I‟m a PHP developer.

• I‟m a technical lead.

• I work at an interactive

agency in Minneapolis

called Clockwork.

I’m Eryn.

• …have recently become

a tech lead.

• …aren‟t a tech lead

yet, but you think you

might want to be.

• …are already a tech

lead, but want to

improve.

And you…

There‟s a lot of ambiguity

around Tech Leading.

Let‟s fix that.

“ The tech lead owns the technological

vision for a project, and is the technical

leader of the project team.

”

A TECH LEAD IS…

Every workplace has a

different set of

expectations and

deliverables.

At the end of the

day, it‟s just about

making good software

with a team.

Tech leading looks a little different

everywhere you go.

1 2 3

Achieve tech lead zen

in three easy steps:

Help your team do

their jobs.

FACILITATE

Keep the big

picture in mind.

ADVOCATE

Guide your team

to the best

possible result.

MOTIVATE

To move things forward:

Facilitate.

Always be asking yourself

What‟s next?

1. Remove roadbloacks

2. Perceive the need.

TACTIC #1:

Tickets, hours, &

burndowns.

Know the answers

Or where to find them.

“ "It's fine to admit not knowing

something, but never ever as an excuse. „I

don't know,‟ should burst joyfully from your

lips, followed by „but I will find out!‟”

”

- Lloyd Dalton, my un-mentor

To do things right:

Advocate.

You need to have the 10,000

foot view in your head

So you can make good

decisions about what to do on

the ground.

TACTIC #2:

Write down

everything.

How to advocate when

talking to…

ManagementDevelopers Clients

Just say NO to feature

creep.

(That‟s advocating for the project.)

To get things done:

Motivate.

I don‟t want to scare you, but…

Tech leading is a form of

management.

(The good kind.)

First key to motivation:

Your attitude.

You decide how this ship is going to sail.

You‟re not writing the

code

The Tech Lead Paradox

But you shoulder the

responsibility for it

Always

Be

Comparing

(to the requirements.)

Tech

Leads’

A. B. C.

TACTIC #3:

Passive-

aggressive

whiteboarding.

Minimize Risk.

Go after the

parts that scare

you the most.

Relentlessly

chase down

answers until

you aren‟t

scared.

Coders work on

the maker‟s

schedule

But TL‟s are on

the manager‟s

schedule.

It can be hard to code when you‟re a

tech lead.

One more time!

AdvocateFacilitate Motivate

Thank you!

• Tweet me at @eryno

• Email me at eryn.oneil@gmail.com