Tutorial

So you're a technical lead. You will have to combine many disparate skills to achieve that elusive goal, the successful team. Project management, people management, requirements management, as well as good design and implementation skills, are all core ingredients. This tutorial examines techniques and patterns for being a successful technical lead. Key areas covered include:

• Becoming a technical lead (leadership styles, winning respect etc).
• Project initiation--laying down the foundations, selecting a method.
• Getting decisions adopted and socialised.
• Targeted design and architecture.
• Transparent design.
• Managing upwards--metrics, monitoring progress, etc.
• Handling personnel problems.
• Handling a project in crisis.
• Worry Patterns--signs not to be ignored.

...and more. A recent project will be used to illustrate the application of the techniques "in the wild." During the tutorial, there will be time to share experiences, discuss problems and consider other solutions. Participants will leave with a comprehensive set of references.

Attendee background

Participants will be either new to technical leadership or already have been in a technical lead role for some time and wish to share experiences and learn some new techniques.

Format

Lecture, group discussion, and copious real world examples

Presenter

Andy Schneider wears consultant and architect hats for BJSS, a software services organisation. He has been involved in implementing, designing and leading projects utilising object-oriented technology since 1990. His primary interests are complex distributed systems, security and technical management. When wearing his consultant hat, he finds himself performing presentations and tutorials on a regular basis.