tl;dr in tech - Issue #96

Promoted From Dev To Team Lead: 8 Things They Didn’t Tell Me#

tl;dr: Ever felt like a deer in headlights? That’s how most of us feel when stepping into a leadership role. Among the unspoken truths: many of your skills don’t translate, culture is a real thing (and you’re responsible for it), and you better get good at explaining “why” more than “what” and “how.” You got this, skipper!

The Work Is Never Just “The Work”#

By: Dave Stewart

tl;dr: To all the overly optimistic project estimators (you know who you are), this one’s for you. Dave’s got strategies for improving contract work estimations, from running postmortems to timing future work. It’s time to do some work on “the work”.

Tech Debt Metaphor Maximalism#

By: Avery Pennarun

tl;dr: Just like financial debt, tech debt can either be a high-interest shortcut or a low-interest strategic decision. As long as you manage it within defined limits and evaluate its impact, you’re all set. It’s time to become the finance guru of the coding world!

On Wielding Influence#

By: Charity Majors

tl;dr: Charity answers the million-dollar questions:

1. How to drive change when you have no power or influence?

2. How to drive change when you are a tech lead on a new team? It’s time to go from coder to influencer!

Should You Optimize For All-Cash Compensation, If Possible?#

By: Gergely Orosz

tl;dr: With companies like Netflix and Shopify allowing employees to decide how much of their total compensation is stock, Gergely investigates various approaches to this choice. More cash or more company pie? That’s the question!

Slack Architecture#

By: Unknown

tl;dr: Want to know how Slack keeps those messages flying and the emojis rolling? This post guides us through the design of a system where users can send real-time messages to each other and within channels, all kept in chronological order.

Be Plainspoken#

By: Andrew Bosworth

tl;dr: Andrew Bosworth talks about the superpower of being plainspoken in the workplace, discussing the pitfalls of trying to maintain harmony, influence, and impress with language.

My Approach To Building Large Technical Projects#

By: Mitchell Hashimoto

tl;dr: Big project got you down? Mitchell Hashimoto suggests breaking it down into chunks to maintain excitement and motivation. And don’t forget the power of a good demo - nothing sparks joy like seeing your code come to life!

To Build A Top Performing Team, Ask For 85% Effort#

By: Greg McKeown

tl;dr: The secret to a high-performance team isn’t a constant full throttle. Research suggests aiming for 85% effort to avoid burnout and achieve optimal results. Time to take your foot off the gas, just a little!