Type of Team Lead: More Programmer || More !Programmer

Question

Yesterday I had a team leader of another team say that they took a while to figure out something I wrote on a wiki page because I referred to obtaining code from source control as "checking out" which apparently confused them. They said that they were use to Clear Case and had only heard of the term "joining a project" and said that they haven't really programmed much for a long time.

While this is fine, what it then made me think of is the different types of team leaders I've had over the years. I've had some that have been almost purely managerial and I've had those that are programmers that do managerial things at the same time.

Do people have a preference as to what kind of team leader they have? How do you care if your team lead is active in the development of your product? I find team leaders who actually sit and code like the rest of the team more likely to understand things like (from my experience):

• things aren't always as simple as they sound. Team leaders I've had who don't code or rarely code at all believe everything is a piece of cake and shouldn't take much time at all (which perhaps might be the case if you want to hack it together)
• they are more understanding that developers don't always like sitting in long meetings and do their best to avoid getting their team into as many pointless meetings as possible
• they understand what you say from a technical point of view. Those that might not have coded for a while might not be up to speed with a lot of the new technologies, techniques or lingo

I find it much more satisfying to have a team leader who has the mind of a developer and likes to get their hands dirty in the code as well. Perhaps there are some people out there that like team leads who distance themselves from the actual coding side of things and simply doles out the work, or perhaps another type of team leader that I haven't mentioned?

Answer 1

A team leader has to be a coder -- they can't lead the team unless the team respects them and where they're taking everyone.

A team manager, on the other hand, can either be a coder or someone who is just well organised and knows when to ask questions and interface to other management.

It is possible to find both a manager and a leader in the same person, but more often the roles (should be) separate and distinct.

Answer 2

You should read the book Managing Humans. I am of the opinion managers should keep their hands out of the code. They have more important responsibilities like keeping people away from developers, so they can do their job. Having them jump into development creates confusion as they aren't in it enough to know what's going on and have their time divided between that and other things, so it is difficult to count on them for major pieces of functionality. Plus, it really sucks when you have to tell your manager that something they just wrote needs to be changed, and you have to go back and redo it. Managers are really their to jump on the grenades for the rest of the team, so they can focus on accomplishing the task at hand.

That being said, should manager's know about software engineering? Yes of course they should, that's the field they are in. Should be know how to code in the latest and greatest whiz bang technology? That shouldn't really matter as long as they get how software development works.

Answer 3

I have no preference, I can't, I have to work with all of them, even though too many cooks spoil the broth. On a multi-developer typical project I have a technical lead, project manager and a non-technical customer. Of course, divisional and programme management will each stick their head in.

There are a number of types of leader, each have their own traits:

Non-technical customer: "The customer is always right." Often wants a moon-on-a-stick. Will call both the management and the technical bods and take the best answer as gospel.

Team manager/line manager: Somewhat pastoral role. Not particularly interested in the project I'm working on right now. Steps in when there is a decision to be made between project priorities. Probably really wants to be a coder, and delegates all the rest of his work that he can to his subordinates.

Project manager: Varying degrees of technical know-how. Is concerned only with timescales and costs. Does not understand, "I don't know how long its going to take, I need to play with it for a couple of days first to get a feel."

Team leader/technical lead: Just another developer, but with more experience. Responsible for technical decision making that will affect the whole project. Often fighting with the project manager to carry out good engineering practice, even though it will take longer in the short term.

Team leader/glorified secretary: Someone who is supposed to lead the team, but acts as more of a secretary. (Usually a grade above the team). Answers the phones, insulates customers from the technical bods. This works fine until they ask a technical question, where the glorified secretary tries to blag his/her way out of it, and eventually they work around the secretary and talk direct to the team.

Answer 4

We typically have a PM (non technical) who manages the project from an admin. viewpoint and a Tech Lead who manages the technical aspects and provides technical leadership to the team.

The Tech Lead will code parts of the project and will probably be the main (only) developer for the "Proof of Concept" stage.

On some smaller projects, they are the same person but it's a rare combination.

Answer 5

The absolute worst Software Leads/Chief Software Engineers that I've worked with were the ones that wanted to be intimately involved in the technical details. Too many important tasks were either missed or just not done. Managing a team is a full-time job. If the lead wants to get involved in the technical aspects it will certainly come at the expense of the managerial aspects.

I’ve only had 2 Software Leads/Chief Software Engineers out of dozens that I thought were worthwhile. While both were previously software engineers, those days were long gone for both of them. They knew it. They didn’t even try to pretend. Their job was now to manage. Their job was to make sure the developers had every chance to succeed. They did their best to remove all obstacles and make sure everyone was making progress.

I have a theory, but have never seen it in action, that the best software lead would be someone who is not, nor ever has been a software developer. They specialize in the true spirit of management, specifically that of being a facilitator. Unfortunately, most managers are more politically motivated or are just in the job because they've reached their pinnacle technically.