RE: Teams Leaders what are they, and do we need them? - Extension from Re: Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?

I'm a Team Leader on my current project.  However, I because I used to be a
manager (in a different industry, long ago) I'm fully aware that there are
people on the team who have more knowledgeable of different areas than me.
Therefore I always strive to ensure that I get them to make the decision for
those contexts.

Now to me (and you by the sound of it) this seems like a perfectly
reasonable way of working. However, I've seen in the past that management
see this as shirking responsibility.  I feel that they imply, "It should be
you making the decisions based upon the arguments given to you by the
'experienced' team member".

But, sometimes the other person just doesn't seem comfortable making these
decisions, in those circumstances, I tend to get them to spell out their
thought processes, until they actually end up telling me why they think one
way is better than the rest.  Then 'endorse' THEIR decision for them.

BTW: I'd rather there not be a team leader at all, even dynamic ones.  The
team would then be a democratic entity, where the specialist at anyone time
involves everyone in the decision making process.



  -----Original Message-----
  From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]
  Sent: 13 February 2003 01:37
  To: [email protected]
  Subject: Teams Leaders what are they, and do we need them? - Extension
from Re: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really
need to know about XP?


  Well guys, gals, guess what another fun and enlightening thread about to
start I hope.

  During the context of the C-Level Mangers thread I started, and amm very
happy to see such great comments and feedback on from all, great list this.

  I have seen the role of team leader be brought up a lot, now as always I
tend to do things a little different in so far, as in my organization, and
hopefully to those I join in the future, I DO NOT HAVE TEAM LEADERS, no
wthese may seem rewally strange, but is for a very valid reason.

  When you have a dev project, and a team of people working on it, by
selecting someone upfront to lead it, you automatically force that person
into a responisibility position, and normally would choose the best person
of the team for that project. HOWEVER the fact remains that no-one person
knows all of the project better than anyone else, so what I do to cater for
this is create a dynamic lead, (okay yes this is a team lead like role) a
Dynamic Lead (for want of a better word) is chosen by the team based on
knowledge of the current issue/sprint/spike/story being coded at the time.
This in essense means that at any given dev. time slot in the project I have
the best technical resource (knowledge/experience/not nec. skill) for that
time slot.

  this has worked wonders in getting people to be more empowered, and the
level of motivtaion in my teams, it has alsoo removed the issues of
resentment/disrespect/mistrust and belief that managers in place are not the
best for the job (I suspect I will be asked to define this more later :) )
  of teams leads and management in general.

  It is always the team that decides the lead for a given time slot, I would
only intervene or a PM would if people are shirking responsibility and
abusing the system by always selecting the same person. A good PM would see
this I do hope.

  thats it for now

  Scott Worley


  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  [email protected]



  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.