Edeki's Tech Journal

Transitioning to a new Team

Edeki Nathaniel -

So my transition to a new team was recently approved, and I have just one Sprint to actively work with my previous team. I want to be deliberate about every single step in the transition phase and beyond; as taking charge of my career is going to be the theme going forward.

The following are the thoughts that come to my mind as I work through the transition period:

Mindfulness

  • Organise workspaces so you can easily find projects and utilities to get work done fast
  • Clone codebases for the new team and ensure you can run the projects; so you have a good headstart
  • Study new team's software architecture
  • Schedule sessions and talk to other reports of your new Manager. Specifically ask about what to expect, how to work with this person.
  • Keep notes of what the new Manager's expectations are.

Last Mile Excellence

  • Document Systems you were previously responsible for, so you can point people to how it works when you get asked about it, otherwise you will always have to carry the burden even when you're in a new team.
  • Actually try to complete pending topics you owned in the former team, or at least ensure you properly handover the ones that you won't be completing.

Ownership

  • Take ownership of the transition process itself; bring all stakeholders to the same page, by documenting the open topics, their state, any vacation plans during this period. Share this with relevant parties and keep then updated.

Cut over

  • Your old team will still need you 🥹, and if you let them, they may pull you into many meetings and, or topics. You have to stick with the plan, and actually cutover around the set time. It's ok to extend by a day or two, but the idea is not to keep supporting both teams at the same time.

Planning

  • What's worked well for me was planning my transition such that I supported both teams for around ~ 2 sprints (off-boarding from old team, while slowly onboarding into the new one). This way, expectations were low, and I could work at a reduced page, while learning about my new team. It gave me a chance to adjust to a new way of working, and have a peek into what the expectations would be.

Avoid Burnout

  • I recommend taking at least a week away from work once you have spent like 1 sprint with your new team. You're no longer new. You must've made your first PR, or maybe even a few. Take the time to recharge 🔋 and come back energized ⚡️