Managing work — Part IV — Epic leader

Business leader Illustration by Delesign Graphics

Who?

Any (engineering) member of the (product) team.

What?

They will be leading the full cycle of an Epic from TO DO to IN PROGRESS to DONE along with the whole, or a subset, of the remaining engineering team.

Potentially, they will also work with a product manager and a designer.

Their responsibilities will include:

• Owning the problem space. The Epic leader should have a deep understanding of what kind of problem needs to be solved and strategize with the engineering team to find the best solution.
• Supporting the engineering team while breaking down the Epic into Stories and Stories into Tasks. Ensuring that those issues smoothly transition from left to right.
• Working with the product manager and the designer (where applicable) to align the development with the vision and the goals behind the Epic.
• Working with other engineering teams and stakeholders (where applicable).
• Define together with the team a validation and a QA strategy.
• Define together with the team a Definition of Done.

When?

During the course of a quarter, there will be opportunities to lead one or more Epics. An Epic will be focused and timeboxed enough to span across 1 to 2 sprints (4 weeks).

Why?

To allow whoever may be interested in the experience and understanding of what engineering management means.

FAQ

• Q: Is it mandatory for me to be an Epic leader during this quarter?
  A: Not at all; this is completely opt-in. It is up to you whether to volunteer to be an Epic leader.
• Q: If I decide to be an Epic leader, will I get some help from others to do my job?
  A: Definitely. You will still be able to work together with your manager as much as you like and get as much input from them as you want.
• Q: As an Epic leader, should I also do all of the engineering work myself?
  A: Absolutely not. In fact, you may even end up not writing any code at all for the Epic that you are leading. This means even if you tend to be more focused on the BE, you should still feel welcome to lead a mostly FE Epic. Your job will be more about supporting and removing impediments for the engineering team.