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Ok to have low code output for IC5?

Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta profile pic
Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta

This quarter, my skip requested/ gave me an opportunity to lead an org wide efficiency initiative as we are at risk of hitting quotas for some internal services (he mentioned potential IC6 scope) and it’s quite urgent to act on it. My role is to start and lead a large team of engineers on this initiative which involves tons of direction to ensure our org isn’t over quota. I would look my role as a hybrid of TL+ TPM with following responsibilities: analyzing data to find opportunities, creating roadmaps for the program, supporting engineers for execution to reduce usage, project management, understanding and enforcing processes, building knowledge on internal services, coaching engineers, setting Eng excellence culture within the org. All that to say, given limited time and a need for someone to lead, I will be focusing on direction and delegate all of the execution work to the squad.

  1. How risky is it to have low code output as an IC5? Given the year is just starting, does it make sense to explicitly discuss this with my manager and skip that my code output will be close to zero in Q1?

I did read some accounts (anon post on WP) where EM and skip aligning on low code out out but the IC5 still got MM at the end because they had only 10 diffs for a half. I don’t want to be in that position.

  1. Should I deprioritize some direction work and allocate some time for coding on my timeline through P2 projects? This will increase diff count but that just seems not a great usage of my time. TIA!
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Posted 2 years ago
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I'm Sanjay, Senior Director at a Series B Startup. AMA!

Sanjay Siddhanti (Senior Director of Engineering at AKASA) profile pic
Sanjay Siddhanti (Senior Director of Engineering at AKASA)

I'm doing a soon: I'll use this thread to collect questions and will follow up to answer anything we don't cover within the hour.

I'm Sanjay ( / ) -- I'm a Stanford grad (same as Rahul), where I got a BS in Computer Science and MS in Biomedical Informatics. I've built my entire career in the Bay Area, with the past 5 years at AKASA, an AI healthcare company to help revenue cycle teams.

I'm the Senior Director of Engineering at AKASA. I joined AKASA in 2019 as one of the first employees when we were a seed-stage startup. I originally joined AKASA as an individual contributor, and quickly switched over to management. I built much of the company's early technology as an IC and later as a tech lead / manager. I also started and managed multiple engineering teams at the company, including Platform Engineering, now an org with 20 engineers.

Happy to answer questions about:

  • How engineering leaders think about the role of Senior, Staff, and Principal ICs
  • How and why to transition from IC to management
  • The differences between an Engineering Manager vs Engineering Director
  • How to hire and retain great talent
  • How to succeed in a startup environment

I can also discuss how to introduce effective development processes (code reviews, agile development, postmortems, planning, etc) in early-stage companies and how to evolve these practices as a company grows.

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Posted a year ago
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Learn About Tech Lead

A tech lead is a senior member of a software development team who not only has strong technical skills but also takes on a leadership role. Unlike a traditional manager, a tech lead focuses on guiding the technical direction of a project, ensuring alignment with business goals and fostering collaboration among team members. The role demands a delicate balance between technical proficiency and effective leadership.
One of the primary responsibilities of a tech lead is to provide technical guidance to the team. This involves making high-level technical decisions, ensuring the adoption of best practices, and overseeing the implementation of solutions that align with the project’s requirements.
A tech lead has a crucial role in fostering collaboration within the team. This involves facilitating effective communication, resolving conflicts, and promoting a positive team culture. A tech lead creates an environment where team members can share ideas and work together seamlessly.
They aren’t typically regarded as project managers, but tech leads are often involved in project management. This includes task allocation, timeline management, and ensuring that the team can meet all of a project’s milestones. Balancing technical objectives with project goals is one of the key responsibilities of a tech lead.
A tech lead has a responsibility to mentor their team members. They should guide junior software engineers with knowledge that they have gained during their career as a software engineer. They should be providing constructive feedback and creating opportunities for getting their team members promoted.
A skilled tech lead will influence the success of a project. Their technical abilities and leadership contribute to efficient project execution and ensure that a team delivers high quality software within an established timeline.
A deep understanding of an organization’s business goals, technical understanding behind a team’s stack, and a broad knowledge of the system architecture is essential to becoming a tech lead. They must constantly be aware of what is happening on their team as well as adjacent teams. They must also have a proven track record of success.
The impact of a tech lead extends beyond just coding. Their role is significant in driving the success of projects and teams. They are able to build software with a business context in mind. They know how to structure a project in a way to reduce risk and increase confidence in the project. Taro contains resources that can help you to become a more effective tech lead.
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