Tech Lead

How to share information with other tech teams in an efficient way

This article discusses a problem faced by a 50-person R&D team split into 10 sub-teams: how to share technical details with each other to prevent reinventing the wheel, overbuilding, and stepping on each other's toes. To solve this problem, the team established a tech lead for each sub-team who was responsible for putting together a 15-minute presentation at the end of each quarter. The presentations covered the technical aspects of the work the team had done, as well as planned work ahead. The lesson learned was to start sharing knowledge as early as possible and pay attention to technical silos.

Taking the Initiative to Transition from Engineering to Product

A technical program manager wanted to transition into a product management role, but faced bias from their company. To prove themselves, they built a strong relationship with a VP of product, took on a small project, and studied for interviews. In the end, they received the offer to become a product manager. The lesson learned is that it is best to transfer internally and find a sponsor on the product team who will support you through the transition.

A good performer who lost passion for his company

A good performer in the company had been losing his passion for the project he was working on due to strategic decisions and personal problems. The manager gave him a lead role on a new project to motivate him, but after a couple of months it was clear he wasn't meeting the bar. The engineer eventually left the company, and the manager learned that he should have pushed the engineer harder to make a decision and should have been more aware of his personal situation before giving him more responsibility.

To Contractor or not to contractor? Pros and cons of putting off full time hiring.

Rogue Rocket was founded in 2011 with the goal of staying lean and hiring staff on a project-needs basis. They used contractors to fill positions and minimize cash flow risk, and eventually made a few full-time hires. The strategy was to create great products and maximize quality and creativity, but this may not be a wise choice in the current business environment due to the shortage of skilled technical personnel. Companies must decide on the best strategy for their needs.

Three-Phase Approach to Onboarding Engineers in a Distributed Services Environment

At ThousandEyes, a distributed services environment can be overwhelming for new engineers. To simplify the onboarding process, a three-phase process was defined. Phase 1 focuses on product knowledge, Phase 2 on processes, and Phase 3 on priorities. Lessons learned include having new hires go through a common phase and allowing them to explore on their own. Onboarding buddies should also time box the time they spend with new hires.

Building a Structure for Scaling Teamwork

This article discusses the challenges of restructuring and reorganizing a team, and the actions taken to address them. Hiring was expedited by focusing on diversity and inclusion, and by hiring leaders of the future. The team was aligned through a shared vision and by introducing initiatives to align on engineering principles. Communication was kept open, honest, and transparent. The lessons learned were to align between squads, find suitable tools for communication, and keep communication open and transparent.