Career Advice About Johnson & Johnson

As a senior engineer, I need to scope out projects on my own. Since I'm often working with new technologies, it can be hard for me to properly estimate the work and break things down into tasks. I also spend a lot of time thinking about the current problem, which prevents me from thinking proactively enough. Because of this, I've gotten feedback that I'm moving too slowly with overall project planning and execution. How can I improve here?

So, a new situation has come up at work. My lead let me know today that he/she is going on a parental leave around October last week. I did ask them to let me know if I need to step up and need to prepare anything before they leave.

Question is How do I handle this situation and work with my directors to get prepared for it. I don't feel prepared to replace them for the next 3 -4 months nor I think I'm expected to do that but the question here is how can I proactively reach out, prepare and help the team in this situation.

I'm more of an extrovert, while my tech lead is more of an introvert. I feel like our relationship isn't as open and honest as it should be, particularly around sharing feedback. They often times have major feedback for me, but it will come too late, either deep into project execution or as late as performance review.

How can I make this relationship more fluid, so I can get feedback to improve earlier?

The leads/execs in my org want me to lead a new project, and I want to make sure I have all the information I need to make the proper decision. I have some concern as my plate is currently pretty full with projects already, so I'm wondering what questions I can ask to see if the project is or isn't a good fit for me.