Important Minds of Leading Team (2/2)

This is last article in the series of “Important Minds of Leading Team”. First one is available on Important Minds of Leading Team (1/2) .

In my previous article, I explained which point Team Lead should pay attention to when “Planning New Activity/Project” and “Show direction”

But after planing and showing the problem and solution, Team Lead also should have a responsibility to make them succeeded.

Team Lead also need to make an effort to help all of members be able to pay attention to same points as Team Lead to accelerate your team as I mentioned in previous article

Mind1: Understand How Team/Product Works

Mind2: Define / Show Problem in Product/Team

Mind3: Direct the solution against the problem

Mind4: Don’t stick to your current responsibility

To cover them, this article will describe what additional minds we need to have.

Mind5: Keep finding lack of piece in ongoing Project

• We call “Problem Definition” and “Direction of Solution” combination as a Project, and assign member to the project as a project member or project leader to implement/introduce solution

• After project started, first thing project leader (not team leader) need to do with project member is to plan details including schedule, milestone, detail implementation plan

• If we could plan everything perfectly at first, it’s nothing to say. but usually after proceed project, we may notice something we missed in “Work Items” or “Solution” or “Schedule” or “Milestone”…anywhere
• If everyone have same “Product/Team Situation Understanding”, “Same Level of Understanding for Problem Definition, Direction of Solution”, All Team Lead should do is just checking progress of Project.
• But Usually It’s not like that, that’s why Team Lead should have strong mind to keep finding if there is missing piece in current Project Plan and Prevent Project from being considered to be succeeded by just Project Member, Make sure Project really succeeded

Mind6: Adjust Project Direction

• This is similar to Mind5 but Mind5 focus on making sure Project Plan fully covered “Problem Definition” and no in-consistency between Schedule and Work Items..
• But this is more like adjusting how we will proceed this project. for example, suppose we have perfect plan but it turns out one of the tasks would take extra 2 months, in this case we should consider to proceed Project Adjustment.
• Sometimes We need to change scope of the project, sometimes we need to change the members in the project, sometimes we need to have multiple phase in the project, sometimes we need to change solution.
• Team Lead should watch/manage the risk of the project and make an action to produce output from the project within reasonable timeline

Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash

Mind7: Maintain the place to see future/current situation

• So far I describe Mind5, Mind6 from the perspective to make sure project is succeeded after plan
• From here, I would like to introduce 2 extra Mind, Mind7, Mind8 from the perspective to motivate team member, help member understand product/team situation.

• Usually Each Member focus on the project assigned, that’s why It’s really natural for project member to be aware of only his assigned project

• If all of members have strong mind to explore other project status, product situation while they are doing their project, it’s okay but maybe it will be really expensive, since everyone need to spend 20–30% time to understand product situation…. And not all of members like such a activity, in that case what will happen?
• Member will get the understanding of Product/Team situation from his/her experience
• But this is really up to what kind of project he/she got involved before and it will take a time…

• That’s why I’m keeping to try to maintain the place to see future/current situation so that All of member can know very easily product/team situation
• That place should be readable without strong mind, that’s why it require some effort to get an attention from members. We must not say “you can find anything in Jira by putting query as you want”
• But it’s impossible for leader to describe everything current project progress, detail design, that’s why creating the culture to write the design doc with readable format, let member know importance of document may be required.
• But here the point is leader should have a mind to prepare something place for member to be able to know product/team situation as correct as leader understood at least

• This is not only for documenting, Understanding product situation actually include the understanding how our system behave in last 2 weeks like what kind of low priority alert is happened, how many alert is happened, how about latency of API, availability of API, specific module invocation time…….and so on.
• To understand this kind of information, We also need to take them into account of System Development and also you may require to have alert, metrics analyzing system, they are also important part when we consider the place to show current/future product situation

Mind8: Connect multiple dots to 1 single line

• This is the last mind in this article. Actually I realize I didn’t show this to member until I got told by Member
• Usually when we ask member to work on Project, that project already have clear problem definition and objective, and it’s already broke down to small enough to be Project.
• But these problem definition and objective are usually just part of big picture (big problem definition to fill big gap between current fact and ideal fact), that’s why member should be able to see that big picture so that they can know what they are working for
• Without this, Member can not know the direction where we are going, of course checking what kind of project coming will help him/her assume the direction but that’s kind of reverse engineering
• That’s why Leader should clarify big picture and how each project(dot) would be connected to solve big problem and improve our product

Summary

Honestly I think there are more items I keep paying attention, but this is kind of all I can verbalize now.

If I couldn’t verbalize, that mind is not ensured to be reproduced, that’s why next year I try to periodically look back myself and try to verbalize While I’m gonna keep have 8 minds I introduced in “Important Minds of Leading Team” series

Even for 8 minds, I don’t think I performed very well in this year. This year, just verbalizing what I’m thinking for “Leading Team” is the all I could achieve by try-and-error.

At least next year I will keep them in minds from beginning of the next year, that should change something my behavior and I will be able to notice something I couldn’t notice this year.

This is kind of report fledgeling Team Lead notice in first year, that’s why these information are not so much useful for experienced Team Lead but I hope some of the point help reader of this article to rethink existing way and get new hint.

Thank you