The Engineering Triumvirate

Dissect any engineering project and you will find a triumvirate at the helm: Team Lead, Product Manager, and Project Manager. In my experience, the lines between these leaders can blend and diverge often. Sometimes it can create confusion especially at crucial decision points. Here are the guiding definitions I have used to understand the roles and responsibilities of each piece in the triumvirate throughout my projects:

1. Product Manager — Provide direction and road map of the product.
2. Team Lead — Provide direction and leadership on how to execute the road map.
3. Project Manager — Ensure the team velocity is at optimal levels to execute the road map.

By no means should you ever try to establish permanent dividing lines between these three roles. Let them mesh, let them merge and diverge as needed but keep the focus on the guidelines above.

This was a super short nugget of wisdom!