Learn the skills you need to be a lead developer, with expert advice on mentoring teams, handling clients and project managers, and keeping your head in emergencies.

The Lead Developer Career Guide teaches you how to transition from an individual contributor to a thriving lead developer. It's packed with insider tips, tricks, and strategies drawn from author Shelley Benhoff's 25-year career in technology, providing vital insights for navigating the unique challenges and expectations of the lead developer role. This one-of-a-kind book demonstrates how critical thinking and communication skills can elevate your career.

In the Lead Developer Career Guide you'll discover:

• The key responsibilities of a lead developer
• Techniques for writing effective technical documentation
• Strategies for improving development processes
• Best practices for communicating with non-technical clients
• Methods for mentoring and inspiring a team
• Approaches for delivering negative feedback constructively

The Lead Developer Career Guide is filled with interviews and real-world case studies from industry professionals and esteemed tech experts. You'll learn how to become the public face for your development team, gathering feedback from your coworkers and communicating with clients and stakeholders. Plus, you'll find proven techniques to reliably calculate project estimates, plan a project from scratch, and mentor junior developers and peers alike.

Foreword by Steve Buchanan.

About the technology

To be a successful Lead Developer you’ll need more than just technical expertise. You’ll be responsible for everything from facilitating architectural decisions that satisfy all stakeholders to mentoring your fellow developers. And you’ll be on the hook for delivering great software on time and under budget. Are you ready for the challenge? This book will help get you there!

About the book

The Lead Developer Career Guide provides the techniques and wisdom you need to transition from individual contributor to lead developer. You’ll learn how to collaborate effectively with executive leadership and project managers, present elegant solutions to clients, and think quickly in those inevitable emergencies. When all eyes are on you, this book will ensure you know exactly what to do.

What's inside

• Improving development processes
• Mentoring and inspiring a team
• Delivering negative feedback

About the reader

For aspiring lead developers.

About the author

Shelley Benhoff has over twenty-five years of experience in tech as a business owner, author, and speaker.

The technical editor on this book was Stephen Mizell.

Table of Contents

1 What is a lead developer?
2 Lead developer career trajectory
3 Learning lead developer skills
4 Learning any developer skill
5 Writing technical documentation
6 Optimizing the development process
7 Working with project teams
8 Speaking with clients
9 Being a mentor
10 Taking the lead
11 Leading with emotional intelligence
12 Being a successful lead developer