While engineers are thinking about management career paths, what kind of existence and role are “tech leads” that are often present in Europe and the United States in the engineer team? Here, I will explain about my career as a tech lead.
table of contents
1. 1. What is Tech Lead?
2. The role of tech lead
3. 3. What is required of Tech Lead
4. Difference between Tech Lead and CTO
5. Difference between Tech Lead and VP of Engineering
6. Difference between tech lead and service lead
7. Case study of IT companies that have tech leads
8. summary
1. 1. What is Tech Lead?
The role of tech lead is a position that exists in many Western engineer teams, and is becoming more widespread in Japan. In a nutshell, it is the “contact and leader of the engineer team.” Sometimes called a lead engineer.
Tech lead as a leader
If there is an engineer organization or several teams within it, the role of leader for each team
Techlead as an organizational contact
Role as a bridge, communication with non-engineer organizations and multiple departments
2. The role of tech lead
Let’s take a look at what role Tech Lead plays in the engineer team.
・ Progress management associated with product launch
・ Product design
・ Improvement of team technical capabilities and productivity
・ Response to inquiries from
non-engineer organizations and departments ・ Team role accountability to non-engineer organizations and departments
・ Code, quality review
・ Mentors and advisors within the engineer team
You can see that the role of Tech Lead is mainly related to the projects and product launches that the team is in charge of. By concentrating on these tasks, we will be able to smoothly proceed with the development process and information sharing and cooperation with multiple departments.
In Japan, there are many cases where “this person is a tech lead” does not yet exist clearly. If there is no one in the current engineer team who can coordinate the product progress and technical improvement of your team, and the contact cooperation with multiple departments, and you feel that there is a process where the work is not smooth, it is very worthwhile to place a tech lead in the team. I have.
3. 3. What is required of Tech Lead
The role of tech lead has been mentioned above, but the following qualities are required to play the role.
・ Ability to explain to multiple departments and non-engineer organizations・ Ability
to respond accurately to requests and inquiries from multiple departments (sometimes courage to say No)
・ Code review and feedback ability to own team
・ Within the team, Abundant confidence
, technical knowledge and experience in multiple departments
Considering these, it is clear that not only the stability of technical skills is of course, but also communication skills are required in parallel with the role that is not the only role to be fulfilled. However, tech lead is to lead the team with technical capabilities. When it comes to managerial positions, roles include team building skills, high-layer meetings with multiple departments, and hiring engineers. The manager role of an engineer is mainly called “VP of Engineering” in Europe and the United States, and this position is also spreading to Japan.
Related article: About the role of “VP of Engineering”, which is also attracting attention in Japan
4. Difference between Tech Lead and CTO
Consider the difference between a CTO, who is said to be an engineer’s career path goal, and a tech lead. First, let’s review the role of the CTO. “Explanation of the role of” VP of Engineering “, which is also attracting attention in Japan! Is explained as follows in the article.
CTO is the Chief Technology Officer and stands for Chief technical officer or Chief technology officer. The highest technical capabilities in the organization are required.
・ Judgment of corporate technical direction・
Strategic formulation of intellectual property protection・ Application
for certification including patents to protect own technology
・ Legal knowledge response regarding patents and technology protection
・ Social demand for new technology
Appropriate judgment regarding investigation and M & A
Related article: What is the role of the CTO? How to aim for a top career path for engineers
5. Difference between Tech Lead and VP of Engineering
Like Tech Lead, VP of Engineering, which is said to be the management career goal of engineers, does not yet exist in Japan. However, as the business and engineering organization expands, it seems that the existence of the VP of Engineering will be needed in Japan in the future. I will review its role here as well.
VP of Engineering is the Chief Management Officer and stands for Vice President of Engineering. In Japan, Vice President is used as an English translation of the vice president, but here it is used as the chief executive officer.
・ Team building of engineer organization
・ Recruitment and training
of engineers ・ Extraction of problems of engineer team and their solutions
・ Collaboration with upper management members in the company including CTO
The VP of Engineering focuses on member formation and recruitment for engineer team building, as well as training and problem extraction to improve the engineer’s team strength. On the other hand, Tech Lead is in charge of technical check on how to succeed in product launch within the team, project explanation to related departments and contact point. When something goes wrong as the team leader, the first person to consult may be the VP of Engineering.
Related article: Explaining the role of “VP of Engineering”, which is also attracting attention in Japan!
6. Difference between tech lead and service lead
The same lead also has the role of “service lead”. Service lead is the role of determining whether the launched product is satisfying the user and leading the refurbishment and construction process for that purpose. We will collaborate with Tech Lead in the following ways.
・ Promote improvement and construction while communicating with Tech Lead by aiming for user experience after product launch ・
Considering product customer satisfaction experience as the highest priority
7. Case study of IT companies that have tech leads
Even in Japan, an increasing number of companies are thinking that it is necessary to allocate tech leads. Here are some examples of companies where the placement of tech leads plays an important role in the engineering organization.
Cookpad Inc.
With the number of engineer organizations exceeding 100, the issue of “how to teach how to achieve results in the organization” came up, and in 2017, a new tech lead position was established.
- (Reference URL: Eliminate the gap in engineer evaluation and training issues! Why Cookpad introduced the tech lead system )
Hatena Co., Ltd.
From 2016, one tech lead engineer will be assigned to one development team to serve as the contact point for the team’s technical capabilities, summarizing the response to the product and reporting the implementation.
- (Reference URL: Tech Lead in Hatena, Tech Lead of Service Platform Team )
8. summary
As the scale of the business and the engineering organization expand, the chances of feeling the need for a role as a leader of each development team, “Tech Lead,” will surely increase. Whether you’re aiming for a CTO career as a technical manager or a VP of Engineer, TechLead will be an effective process in developing an engineer career path.
