Succeeding as a technical lead or architect
I will be using the terms technical lead and architect interchangeably. Depending on the size of your organization, this may be two separate roles or one. But no matter which specific role you fulfill, in these roles, it is up to you to ensure the success of your project and, most importantly, the well-being of your team members.
Understand the business impact
Your first task should be to understand the business impact of your project. Some questions to ask are:
- How critical is the success of this project to the business?
- What are the consequences of failure?
- What does it mean to fail?
- Which features will deliver the most value?
- What are the parameters you must operate under?
- What’s negotiable and what’s not?
The answers you get to these questions will vary how your project should operate significantly. If the survival or reputation of the business is at stake, you...
