Leading a work package

Overview
This playbook provides guidance for anyone leading a work package - product leads, designers, engineers, and other product influencers. It explains principles, ownership roles, and communication steps to ensure effective delivery without defaulting to implicit management.

Key Takeaways

• Anyone can act as a product manager, but leadership should be role-based.
• Clear distinction between problem-unclear (product lead) and problem-clear (engineer) phases.
• Define a primary leader for each work package; default to the Product Lead when not assigned.
• Use a management summary to align stakeholders early.
• Avoid implicit hierarchies in managerless organizations by distributing responsibilities.

Who Would Benefit

• Product leads and product managers
• Product designers
• Product engineers and technical leads
• Engineering managers and CTOs
• Teams operating in flat or managerless structures

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Principles for product leadership (non-negotiable truths)
• Ownership and Roles framework for work packages
• Initiation and Communication checklist for work package kickoff