Last Updated on 2024-10-11
What does a dev team lead do? Take a look at how they help support teams, their duties, responsibilities, and how they progress their careers.
A development team lead is responsible for the whole software team. They usually transition from being a developer, QA tester, product manager, or any other technical role.
However, they do not just write or design the code. Instead, they coordinate efforts across teams to deliver software products successfully. But is that all they do? Letโs find out.
What is a Dev Team Lead?
Developer team leaders are problem solvers and the first ones who remove team roadblocks. They are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and write code whenever needed. Additionally, their role is to help the team keep motivated and productive.
To guide the team in the right direction, team leaders fulfill the following roles:
- Team Manager – keeps the team in line with all activities and task prioritization.
- Strategist – must determine impediments and provide solutions to complete tasks.
- Point of Communication – distributes information, including requirements, updates, or challenges to all stakeholders.
- Organizer – keeps track of all project activities, tasks, documents, and employees.
- Goal setter – determines goals and objectives at the beginning of the project until it is accomplished.
- Mediator – must resolve conflict or miscommunication that may arise to avoid any negative impact on team collaboration.
Development team leaders monitor productivity, outputs, and control the pace of software delivery during the whole development phase. Team management is one of their most significant roles in the organization. What other responsibilities do they carry?
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Dev Team Leader Roles and Responsibilities
To better understand the role of the team leader, here is a list of their roles and responsibilities:
- Guides software development teams through coaching sessions or mentorship.
- Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Must have a high understanding of available technical solutions and contribute to team success at the code level.
- Collaborates with Development Project Managers to ensure requirements are met and delivered accurately.
- Able to effectively provide reasonable estimates for project timelines from design until delivery.
- Able to provide regular project status updates to address any project requirements, issues, or changes.
- Manage teams to maintain a high quality for software products by establishing good habits and practices.
- Evaluates a variety of software products, provides peer review and solutions to related code.
- Adhere to a set standard of development principles and deliver timely and on-budget solutions.
- Define phases in the product life cycle that includes activities and milestones.
- Create a documentation process such as the project event and risk log or any other reporting needed.
- Participate in project review meetings to provide updates on progress.
- Coordinate with internal teams to ensure alignment for the seamless implementation of current, including new systems.
- Take responsibility in making strategic decisions that will help ensure the implementation of initiatives.
How to Become a Dev Team Lead
Gaining the role as a team lead will not be handed on a silver platter. Instead, one must be able to prove their technical and leadership skills. So, how can one start a career as a development team leader?
1. Earn the right technical experience and skills
Learning is a continuous process when it comes to getting a promotion. The right candidate must be diligent enough to learn more about new technologies and keep up-to-date with the latest trends.
Another way is to broaden their knowledge of a specific language or subset the organization uses. They must show you that they are willing to improve to move up the ranks. Not only that, a team leader must have the drive to move the business forward.
2. Express interest in getting the role
The right candidate must let their manager know that they are interested in pursuing a dev team lead position. Knowing who wants to progress their careers will let you know who is willing to undergo training.
3. Taking Responsibility
The Dev Team Lead will not only be responsible for their work but also for other software developers. Your candidate must be willing to take responsibility for everything related to the team and the project. They must create innovative solutions to the problems and challenges they will encounter.
4. Communicate and Manage well
The dev team lead must be able to communicate with all stakeholders. This allows clear communication across teams to avoid any misunderstandings.
Management skills are also essential. One must have the ability to handle difficult situations calmly. This shows the team that whatever they will encounter, they can count on their team lead to help them out.
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5. High Business Sense or Knowledge
Development team leaders must be able to strategize the right business move. This includes ensuring that all projects get delivered relative to the businessโ goals.
Qualifications of a Dev Team Lead
To be considered for a team lead role, one must actively pursue higher education. Many enroll in continuing education by getting an MBA or any advanced degree. Such candidates get more credibility, especially when they have an idea in business management. Here is a list of standard qualifications for a development lead:
- Experience in designing and building enterprise-level software.
- Proven expertise in Microsoft.NET technologies including WPF, WCF, LINQ, WF, and EF.
- Able to build with Microsoft.NET 3.5+ using C#, .NET, or SQL technologies
- Experience in people management with the ability to lead a huge team
- Experience in employee personal development at an individual and team level.
- Be able to lead and manage the timely delivery of systems or software development projects.
- Experience in various software development methodologies that includes Agile and Waterfall.
- Experience in architectural and implementation-level design.
- Must have a strong desire to maintain technical capabilities and expertise in the latest technologies.
Hire a Dev Team Lead Today!
If youโre looking for a development team leader, you must first understand their essential roles and responsibilities in an organization. A successful team leader possesses strong technical skills to lead your software development team.
Here at Full Scale, we actively look for qualified candidates to fill any job role you need. We understand how important a development team leader is. Thatโs why we do our due diligence to pre-qualify candidates for you.
One of our goals is to find the perfect developer or project lead for you to reach the desired outcomes. All you need to do is search for a candidate in our database and set up an interview. Itโs that easy!
Talk to us, and letโs explore how we can help you reach your business goals.
Matt Watson is a serial tech entrepreneur who has started four companies and had a nine-figure exit. He was the founder and CTO of VinSolutions, the #1 CRM software used in today’s automotive industry. He has over twenty years of experience working as a tech CTO and building cutting-edge SaaS solutions.
As the CEO of Full Scale, he has helped over 100 tech companies build their software services and development teams. Full Scale specializes in helping tech companies grow by augmenting their in-house teams with software development talent from the Philippines.
Matt hosts Startup Hustle, a top podcast about entrepreneurship with over 6 million downloads. He has a wealth of knowledge about startups and business from his personal experience and from interviewing hundreds of other entrepreneurs.