SMNotes & Thoughts

TECH LEAD NOTES

How I organise a Tech Lead day.

Leadership practice9:00 AM–9:00 PM IST

A calendar is not a measure of impact. It is a promise about where people can find clarity, feedback, and support—while preserving enough quiet time to make good decisions.

A deliberate operating rhythm

TimeFocusActivities
9:00–11:00Focus hoursIndividual contribution, email and Slack triage, follow-ups, documentation, and work that needs uninterrupted thought.
11:00–12:00Team internal15 minutes: run a focused scrum for the eight-engineer MRO, GEN1, and DEX team—review operational signals, defects, priorities, and ownership. 45 minutes: connect individually with engineers to align on approach, remove blockers, and make sure the day’s most important work is clear.
12:00–1:00Leadership alignmentManager syncs, roadmap planning, and updates that keep delivery connected to leadership context.
1:00–2:00PR & design reviewsThe first review block: help decisions land early, without making quality a late-stage surprise.
2:00–4:00Cross-team supportIST collaboration, queries, hiring, and Bar Raiser conversations—time intentionally available for the wider organisation.
4:00–6:00Protected thinking timeA walk, a reset, room for thought, and the highest-leverage leftover priority of the day.
6:00–6:30PR & design reviewsA second review block, so teams know when they can expect careful feedback.
6:30–9:00Cross-time-zone workUS-facing support, meetings, preparation, and decisions that need a wider room.

WORKING AGREEMENTS

Predictable access, better decisions.

  • PR requests have known review windows; quick approvals can become a short call when discussion is more useful.
  • IST meetings and recruiting coordination belong in the 2:00–4:00 PM window.
  • US and cross-time-zone meetings use 6:00–9:00 PM, with a buffer before and after.
  • Offline questions get an expected response time. Same-day meetings need prior discussion.

FRIDAY FOCUS

Make room for the work around the work.

Friday avoids routine connection meetings. It is for documentation, team learning, personal learning, sprint planning and retrospection, 1:1s, selected cross-team catch-ups, exploration, and POCs that can create organisation-level impact.