The jump to Tech Lead is not “programming less.” It is assuming that your main output stops being individual code and becomes clarity of direction, decisions and unlocking the team.
Guided practical case
Team: 6 devs, 1 QA, 1 PM. Problems in the last quarter:
- Big and slow PRs,
- inconsistent architecture,
- Deadlines missed due to late scope changes.
90-day goal for the new Tech Lead:
- reduce cycle time by 25%,
- increase sprint predictability,
- lower technical rework on key features.
Actual role changes
- You go from “resolving tickets” to “resolving work systems.”
- You make decisions with explicit tradeoffs (cost, risk, time).
- You protect the team’s focus: fewer interruptions, better prioritization.
- You invest in multipliers: mentoring, standards, playbooks.
Recommended operating cadence
- Weekly architecture sync (30 min): open decisions and technical risk.
- Refinement with real “Definition of Ready” criteria.
- Light postmortem for each relevant incident.
- 1 biweekly focused on growth and blocks.
Short template for the weekly architecture sync:
## Architecture Sync (30 min)
### 1) Decisiones pendientes
- [ ] Migrar cache local a Redis
- [ ] Definir estrategia de versionado API
### 2) Riesgos tecnicos
- Riesgo: latencia en endpoint de reportes
- Mitigacion: indice DB + paginacion por cursor
### 3) Acciones con owner
- Ana: ADR de versionado (viernes)
- Luis: benchmark de query pesada (miercoles)Actionable checklist
- Define 3 flow health metrics (cycle time, WIP, defects)
- Document important decisions in short ADRs
- Establish non-negotiable technical conventions by domain
- Reserve weekly blocks for mentoring and pairing
- Review roadmap with PM according to the team’s real capacity
Happy reading! ☕
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