Most of the Team Lead’s work is hidden from the team. Depending on numerous factors, such as the size of the organization or the presence of other managing roles, it can be quite blurry. The list of TL duties differs from company to company.
Somewhere it is just a formal position for dragging tasks from one status to another in a spare time from coding, somewhere it is a full-fledged leadership with tons of communication. But one thing is common – if you become a team leader, your life will change. Who is a Team Leader? What he does? What are the benefits and disadvantages of this role? Let’s find out.
WHO IS A TEAM LEAD?
Team Lead – is a person managing a team of developers or other specialists. It’s a job, not a profession. You can't take courses and become a Team Leader. The only way there is to gain experience and build professional competencies.
WHAT DOES A TEAM LEAD DO?
The Team Lead is responsible for the project. If deadlines are not met – the Team Leader is the one to blame. If you want to add features, talk to the Team Leader (although he will probably say that the sprint is already blocked).
The team leader is also responsible for team building, onboarding, and maintaining a productive atmosphere. The load may vary. In some companies, Team Lead closes the entire cycle of hiring – from search and interview to onboarding and mentoring. In others, Team Leads jumps in only at the stage of the final interview and decides whether to send an offer.
It largely depends on the Team Lead whether the developers will professionally grow. Team Leader normally has all the tools to facilitate the growth: from conducting code reviews, discussing the process at 1-2-1 or general meetings to engaging in pair programming.
WHAT SKILLS DOES A TEAM LEAD NEED?
The position of Team Leader is at the intersection of software development and management. Therefore, both hard and soft skills are expected to be at a higher level.
A Team Lead must be an expert on the stack the team is using. You don't have to be the best at everything – it's just not possible. But in case of force majeure, the leader should be able to replace any team member, at least at the level of the project’s viability.
WHAT A TYPICAL WORKING DAY OF A TEAM LEAD LOOKS LIKE?
70% of Team Leader’s work are organizational issues and communication, 30% – direct technical tasks. A bit of coding and a lot of code reading.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF A TEAM LEAD’S ROLE?
Advantages
The advantages of this position are mainly associated with the acquisition of administrative skills. In the position of Team Lead, a specialist learns to communicate effectively with people, manage conflicts, and build a healthy atmosphere within the team.
Seniors are attracted by opportunities to take on greater responsibility, solve more complex and diverse tasks, participate in business development, influence the company's commercial results, train others, and, finally, receive a higher income.
Disadvantages
Disadvantages are the reverse side of advantages. A Team Lead must be responsible for himself, for others and for the result. Such a level of responsibility does not always correspond to authority and tools.
You need to be prepared for a greater workload, additional burning of nerve cells, a non-standard workday and the need to constantly switch between tasks.
IN A NUTSHELL
Not everyone likes to manage people and constantly communicate with business units and customers. But if you do there are several ways to become a Team Lead.
If you work in a startup or a small company, you can easily switch to a Team Lead from a middle position. For example, you worked alone, the team got bigger, and your skills turned out to be enough to hire new developers and set up a workflow.
If the company is large and the projects are complex, it will be difficult to become a Team Lead from a middle – there will be simply not enough expertise to evaluate the project. Although a senior with pumped soft skills can be an ideal candidate.
Somewhere it is just a formal position for dragging tasks from one status to another in a spare time from coding, somewhere it is a full-fledged leadership with tons of communication. But one thing is common – if you become a team leader, your life will change. Who is a Team Leader? What he does? What are the benefits and disadvantages of this role? Let’s find out.
WHO IS A TEAM LEAD?
Team Lead – is a person managing a team of developers or other specialists. It’s a job, not a profession. You can't take courses and become a Team Leader. The only way there is to gain experience and build professional competencies.
WHAT DOES A TEAM LEAD DO?
- Communicates with customers or business units of the company.
- Estimates tasks, deadlines of each stage, breaks tasks into sprints.
- Distributes the workload among developers.
- Ensures that tasks are completed on time.
- Evaluates developers' decisions and makes recommendations.
- Coordinate the finished work with the customer.
The Team Lead is responsible for the project. If deadlines are not met – the Team Leader is the one to blame. If you want to add features, talk to the Team Leader (although he will probably say that the sprint is already blocked).
The team leader is also responsible for team building, onboarding, and maintaining a productive atmosphere. The load may vary. In some companies, Team Lead closes the entire cycle of hiring – from search and interview to onboarding and mentoring. In others, Team Leads jumps in only at the stage of the final interview and decides whether to send an offer.
It largely depends on the Team Lead whether the developers will professionally grow. Team Leader normally has all the tools to facilitate the growth: from conducting code reviews, discussing the process at 1-2-1 or general meetings to engaging in pair programming.
WHAT SKILLS DOES A TEAM LEAD NEED?
The position of Team Leader is at the intersection of software development and management. Therefore, both hard and soft skills are expected to be at a higher level.
- Work experience of 3-5 years – it is desirable that it includes managing at least a small team;
- Experience in conducting code reviews, mentoring – because you will have to help other developers, pull up juniors;
- The ability to make decisions and take responsibility – everything that happens to the project becomes a Team Lead’s headache;
- Analytical abilities and critical thinking – for the correct assessment of the task complexity and prioritization;
- Delegation skills – to competently distribute tasks among team members;
- Knowledge of HR practices – you’ll need to understand personnel policy and facilitate team building and recruitment;
- Time management – for setting realistic deadlines and effectively solving problems.
A Team Lead must be an expert on the stack the team is using. You don't have to be the best at everything – it's just not possible. But in case of force majeure, the leader should be able to replace any team member, at least at the level of the project’s viability.
WHAT A TYPICAL WORKING DAY OF A TEAM LEAD LOOKS LIKE?
- accepting new tasks and their distribution;
- stand-ups with the team;
- meetings;
- programming;
- architectural issues;
- code review.
70% of Team Leader’s work are organizational issues and communication, 30% – direct technical tasks. A bit of coding and a lot of code reading.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF A TEAM LEAD’S ROLE?
Advantages
The advantages of this position are mainly associated with the acquisition of administrative skills. In the position of Team Lead, a specialist learns to communicate effectively with people, manage conflicts, and build a healthy atmosphere within the team.
Seniors are attracted by opportunities to take on greater responsibility, solve more complex and diverse tasks, participate in business development, influence the company's commercial results, train others, and, finally, receive a higher income.
Disadvantages
Disadvantages are the reverse side of advantages. A Team Lead must be responsible for himself, for others and for the result. Such a level of responsibility does not always correspond to authority and tools.
You need to be prepared for a greater workload, additional burning of nerve cells, a non-standard workday and the need to constantly switch between tasks.
IN A NUTSHELL
Not everyone likes to manage people and constantly communicate with business units and customers. But if you do there are several ways to become a Team Lead.
If you work in a startup or a small company, you can easily switch to a Team Lead from a middle position. For example, you worked alone, the team got bigger, and your skills turned out to be enough to hire new developers and set up a workflow.
If the company is large and the projects are complex, it will be difficult to become a Team Lead from a middle – there will be simply not enough expertise to evaluate the project. Although a senior with pumped soft skills can be an ideal candidate.
