WTF is a tech lead.. and what does she do?

Want to know if a software company has a great engineering culture (as they claim on careers site)?
— Just check if there are engineers (individual contributors) in strong, decision making roles.

Most respected tech companies have engineers playing the Tech Lead role. Sometimes accidental, while sometimes deliberate its obvious that these engineers fulfill a specific business need and deliver business impact. Although ubiquitous every company differs in their definition of a Tech Lead. This post tries to codify the responsibilities of a tech lead.

My intent is spread awareness and provide clarity on what should be expected — and not expected of them. I hope this also helps existing tech leads better plan their careers and manage their time

Important clarifications

• Tech lead is not a formal title, but a role an engineer is playing.
• Tech lead is not a promotion or a step up in a career ladder.
• Not everyone has to be a tech lead to grow in their careers.
• Being a tech lead is not a permanent state. An engineer can play the role of a tech lead for a project or for a specific phase of a project or on a team or for a certain situation. Its ephemeral.