I am currently facing issues in my current job, I have been promoted (2 months ago) to lead developer in my team and got the following workload added :
But meanwhile, management expects that I keep producing at the pace I was before the promotion. In my planing I have no dedicated tasks for these parts:
So for the last two month, I have been putting the hours to meet their expectation of my productivity, while doing the tasks above.
I have already raised this issue to my management, but things do not seem to change.
I would like to know how more experienced Lead developer would deal with this, and if you have some advice along the way, that would be really nice!
What you describe doesn't sound sustainable; and I agree with others who are saying that it sounds like you're doing a lot of project and product management.
Biggest issue to me is: management expects that I keep producing at the pace I was before the promotion. That's literally impossible. They have given you a new role; which means you have new duties that require your time. Your direct coding output will reduce in order that your influence can improve the coding output of the other devs - that's how having a lead works :)
I think you need to have a talk with your boss about what they actually expect from you in the new role; and what you believe is possible without putting in longer hours. If the new role is just a ruse to get you to work unpaid overtime, it's exploitation plain and simple. I'm hoping this is not the case and it's just a poorly-defined new role, which happens a fair bit.
Go in prepared, though. Ahead of time work out...
You should really have some idea of a roadmap too, before you have that discussion.
Sketch out what you think needs to happen in the next two years. Increasing your planning window can be a good way to spread out work (does the R&D need to be done now or could it wait?); or frame questions of prioritisation. eg. if your team is struggling because deployments are failing and there's a high bug rate, it makes sense to clear the decks and do your quality processes and automation stuff first.
For the day to day stuff like reviews and helping people - have a think about how that is coming across your desk. Is it spread throughout the day? Is it causing a lot of interruptions? If so, set aside some time during the day dedicated to code review and helping people - and let them know that's when you will be doing it. For example you might say that you will do all your code reviews at the start or end of the day; and you will be available for pairing for the hour after lunch. During the rest of the day, if someone asks for your time you can check if it's drop-everything urgent; and if it's not (it almost never is) then schedule them in to a time slot that doesn't disrupt other things. Similarly, the rest of the day you ignore code review notifications. Give them full attention when you have the time.
Hope that helps! Last thought really is don't let this conversation turn into how you can't do any "work" any more. Your job changed. Your lead tasks are work, not just the individual contribution you have been doing. It's a hugely damaging misconception that "work" means "writing lines of code". The conversation right now is your previous workload was not reduced to accommodate the new/added workload; and you need to get that in balance.
Plan, and delegate, and add your own training needs to the plan too. You then sit with your boss to prioritise, keeping an eye on the working week.
You will get some idea of how you are valued, and hopefully help to become a better manager.
That "project manager" and "lead developer" are two separate jobs TO ME sounds like you've got a project manager who isn't doing their damned job.
If they gave you a meaningless title so they can try to use/abuse you for more workload than is reasonable, you're being treated like a fast food worker and not an IT professional -- and I would suggest telling them that in no uncertain terms.
Since at that point you just might be better off flipping burgers for a living. Sometimes it's just not about the money.
Really that you say you're the 'lead developer' but there's also a 'project manager' REEKS of mismanagement and possible incompetence on the part of the latter -- a SIGNIFICANT PART of what you describe as part of your job being what should be theirs.
But then I'm from the age when "project managers" did their huffing job instead of wasting half the day in pointless meetings and the other half playing farmville, all blindly hoping someone else or some sort of software automation like version control will do THEIR JOB for them!
Seriously, of your entire first list, eight of those items should be the Project Manager's responsibility. I mean if all that is on the "lead developer" just what the blazes does their huffing job entail? Brown-nosing everyone in sight to cover up for being unqualified to manage a damned thing?
Only partly flippant: "never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after"
Actually you cannot be as productive. period.... that's the trade. you either work or you delegate doing both is almost impossible.
Every meeting takes time away, every planning as well. They can expect whatever they want .... they lost a productive worker and they have to compensate not you.
The longer you do it the more they expect it from you. And here's the thing ... you're lead now you should be the least productive but the one with the highest efficiency ..... you need to promote your team this is your job now. Getting others more efficient, review, talk, coordinate.
Or you flatten the hierarchy and work with your team ....
Greg Benner
javascript whisperer
This happened to me also, I would recommend quitting. I got promoted twice and by all account was hitting all my goals then suddenly let go, it's never worth the extra workload. The CEO never thanks you for staying late or working extra from home. My advise would be to move to a new position, whether it is being a Lead or a Developer you can set clear expectations while negotiating with that new company.