Understanding Code Development Expectations

In this chapter, we’ll cover code development expectations for a TPM. Though programming isn’t a core competency that you should expect to see come up in an interview, it is foundational to project and program success. If we don’t understand what our team is doing, and if we can’t relate, push back, and advise, then we will constantly be in the dark.

Trust is a very important part of being a leader. We need to be able to trust that our team knows what they are doing and are making the right decisions, but we also need to be able to verify progress and be there for our team when they need our input. Without understanding the basics of programming, it will be hard to achieve the right balance of trust and verification. With that in mind, we’ll go over some fundamental code concepts that are most relevant as a TPM. These concepts are not exhaustive but will provide a good foundation for additional knowledge related to programming. Along with system design and architectural landscape design in the coming chapter, these topics are important to any TPM position in the tech industry. Not every TPM has these foundational skills, but the best TPMs in the industry do.

We’ll explore these code development expectations through the following topics:

• Understanding code development expectations

• Exploring programming language basics

• Diving into data structures

• Learning design patterns

Let’s begin!

Overview

TPMs are surrounded by software development teams and interact with developers, support engineers, and development managers on a daily basis. They are involved in technical discussions around requirements, release management, and feature and system designs. So, in the midst of all of this software talk, let’s explore what level of code proficiency is expected in the TPM role.

No code writing required!

As a TPM, our focus will not be on writing code ourselves, but on getting it written through others. It is rare for a TPM to write code as part of their role. Some TPMs may write code in start-ups, which aligns with our need to wear many hats because the number of people involved in a start-up is comparatively small and the need to step up has a higher chance of occurring. In larger companies, roles are usually tightly defined, and the overlap and opportunity have a smaller chance of occurring.