This text has been translated from Google Translate.
A Tech Lead is a technical referent. It is a form of expert, who is identified in a team on a given skill or technology.
The difference is the context! The Lead Developer is a role in a project or in a team. The Tech Lead is transversal to him.
For example: Your company may have a Tech Lead, or several, on Angular. He will be responsible for keeping watch on techno. And all the teams and all the projects will be able to call on him in case of concern. Do you need to improve your skills on techno? Call the Tech Lead for a quick training.
A Lead Dev will live in the team and will report directly to the PO(s) or the Scrum Master. It is also often a form of scrum master appointed automatically. Or a Project Manager if agile is not yet mainstream in this company.
A Tech Lead can be part of your team for a limited time. For example, you need to deploy to AWS for the first time. Your Dev Lead will require an AWS Tech Lead at least 2 days a week for the months around the first go-live.
You can also ask a Tech Lead to come and help you from time to time, do code reviews, etc...
Well yes because even if you are 400 or 800 in your DSI, you cannot have leads on all subjects!
So often the tech leads are external. They come from an ESN or they are independent. And in terms of career it is practical. Because if your company no longer needs Android and you are an expert on this technology, you will have to change technology. If you are independent, it will surely be easier to change clubs. And changing regularly develops your expertise. That's good !
Tech Leads regularly speak on the WeLoveDevs blog
We talked about technical monitoring. A Tech Lead is autonomous, but above all educational. In rugby nobody likes ball boxes, in tech, knowledge is shared.
It takes a lot of empathy and humility to help others in a sincere way. Especially since a Tech Lead may tend to help without advancing others. And it's not necessarily exemplary for the role!
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
Yes, the right tech lead teaches you how to fish! It fulfills its function perfectly when you don't need it today. But that its simple presence reassures on the future in the medium term.
Well he is also afraid of sinking into the complex of the expert (always obliged to be right). Inevitably he overcame his impostor syndrome. But at the same time he has had time to learn, he has time to keep watch.
Maybe he even gives training for real? Maybe he speaks on conferences. The Tech Lead is not Jarod the Chameleon, but he has varied days.
Want to become a Tech Lead? Apply now ->