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Douglas Pujol
Douglas Pujol

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The True Power of a Tech Lead

This week I finished reading the book "O Verdadeiro Poder" ("The True Power"), written by Vicente Falconi, which was recommended to me by my friend Júlio.

Drawing a parallel with the world of software development and the role of a tech lead in a company, understanding all the processes of an organization and how they influence the lives of stakeholders is a responsibility of any tech lead. Moreover, fostering a results-oriented culture within the team is essential.

How much does it cost to develop a feature? What was the real impact of a bug? How much did it cost to stop the team for 3 hours to discuss an issue that wasn’t particularly relevant or could have been resolved via email?

Every new feature and every resolved bug must be aligned with the organization's financial metrics. Besides the technical knowledge required for the tech lead role, we often forget the fundamental management responsibilities that this professional must master.

An effective tech lead should be able to translate strategic goals into clear objectives for their team, ensuring that everyone is aligned and focused on the same goal.

It is a fact that, many times, we cannot know the monetary value of a team or an operation as a whole, but we can track hours, delivered features, and resolved bugs within a sprint or time interval. This would already be a good starting point to have a better view of the team's performance, crucial data that we often overlook.

Falconi's methodology is a guide to achieving challenging goals through planning and focus. Understanding the organization from different angles, whether functionally (horizontally) or departmentally (vertically), is essential for effective management.

In summary, a tech lead must go beyond their technical expertise, developing people management and strategic planning skills to achieve true success. Clearly understanding all the processes of a company and aligning their deliveries with the main objectives of the organization.

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