As a software developer, you have valuable skills and knowledge that can benefit your team and your projects. But how can you use your technical background to help your team without stepping on their toes, micromanaging their work, or undermining their autonomy? Here are some tips on how to be a supportive and effective team player with a technical edge.
Communication is key for any team, but especially for software development teams that deal with complex and dynamic problems. You can help your team by communicating clearly and respectfully, using the appropriate channels and tools, and avoiding jargon and ambiguity. For example, you can use code comments, documentation, diagrams, and screenshots to explain your code and design decisions, and use tools like Slack, Zoom, or Jira to communicate with your team members and stakeholders. You can also ask for feedback, listen actively, and acknowledge different perspectives and opinions.
1-Be a resource: Share your knowledge and expertise with your team members. This can be done through formal training sessions, informal mentoring, or simply being available to answer questions. 2-Solve problems: Use your technical skills to solve problems for your team. This could involve debugging code, fixing hardware issues, or finding creative solutions to technical challenges. 3-Automate tasks: Automate repetitive tasks to free up your team members' time so they can focus on more important things. This could involve writing scripts, using automation tools, or setting up processes to streamline workflows.
A bit of a controversial opinion: pick your battles. Team members with technical backgrounds can tend to overemphasize the importance of small technical details; it's more important that you communicate broad, thematic decisions to build a shared intuition between you and your team. Bonus: ask your team members to explain the solution in their words.
As someone with a technical background who wants to help their team, here are some effective strategies you can employ: Stay updated and share knowledge. Mentor and coach colleagues. Collaborate on problem-solving. Document processes and best practices. Lead by example. Provide empathy and support. Utilize networking and external resources.
Communicating well is a fundamental skill with numerous obstacles to doing it well consistently. We are always communicating across a chasm of sorts. We have different backgrounds, different mental models of the world and technology, and different ways of learning and listening. One practical solution to communicating well is the use of a shared visual such as a diagram or whiteboard drawing. Communicating over a shared visual creates an alignment of understanding better than long conversations can. I've experienced numerous conversations when my team thought we were aligned but had completely different pictures of the outcome we were striving for. Processing over visual media has helped address situations like this.
You have a lot of technical expertise that can help your team learn new skills, solve problems, and improve their performance. You can share your expertise by offering to mentor, coach, or pair-program with your team members, or by creating and delivering workshops, tutorials, or presentations on topics that are relevant to your projects. You can also share your insights, tips, and best practices through blogs, newsletters, or podcasts. Sharing your expertise can help your team grow professionally, increase their confidence, and foster a culture of learning and collaboration.
Pair programming offers an excellent opportunity for newer team members to familiarize themselves with the codebase while receiving valuable guidance from experienced developers. It also fosters collaboration and accelerates learning within the team dynamic! Additionally, when assisting your team with technical topics, consider using the record button during issue walkthroughs. It's unrealistic to expect anyone, especially those new to a topic, to remember every detail. Having a recorded session for reference proves immensely helpful. Furthermore, these recordings empower other team members to become self-reliant by serving as tutorials for guiding their tech journey!
You may be tempted to take on more tasks or responsibilities than you can handle, or to intervene in every issue or challenge that your team faces. However, this can lead to burnout, stress, and resentment, both for you and your team. You can help your team by delegating and empowering them to take ownership of their work, make decisions, and find solutions. You can do this by setting clear goals and expectations, providing guidance and support, and giving constructive feedback and recognition. You can also encourage your team to experiment, innovate, and learn from their mistakes.
To delegate work, it is helpful to understand that delegation is not an all-or-nothing situation. There are different levels of delegation. Management 3.0 has this super useful Delegation Poker Deck that illustrates it well. It goes from: 1. Tell (I will tell them what to do) 2. Sell 3. Consult 4. Agree 5. Advise 6. Inquire 7. Delegate (I will fully delegate) Figuring out which of the 7 levels of delegation is the most appropriate for each situation has been helpful in successfully delegating work.
You can use your technical background to help your team work more efficiently and effectively by automating and optimizing their workflows and processes. You can do this by creating and using tools, scripts, frameworks, or libraries that can automate repetitive or tedious tasks, such as testing, debugging, deploying, or monitoring. You can also optimize your team’s performance by applying best practices, standards, or methodologies that can improve the quality, reliability, and security of your code and products. You can also review and refactor your code and products regularly to ensure they are maintainable and scalable.
The software development field is constantly changing and evolving, and you need to keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and tools. You can help your team by learning and adapting to the changing needs and demands of your projects, clients, and users. You can do this by researching, experimenting, and evaluating new solutions, frameworks, or platforms that can enhance your team’s capabilities and outcomes. You can also seek feedback, measure results, and analyze data to identify and address gaps, issues, or opportunities for improvement.
One thing I've found it helpful is learning team from your knowledge by practice. Means let/force them to read your codes, do some activities in team, and let them fail on their tasks. Failing is best way for learning.