It is very common for an individual contributor to think about the next challenge in their career, whether it is the role of a tech lead, an engineering manager, or a software architect. When the transition happens, the first surprise is often in the form of the implicit nature of the new role: becoming a force multiplier and making a bigger impact to the organization. The good news is, there are few simple skills which can be mastered quickly and should catapult such a motivating individual contributor to a whole new level. 

During this session, we will define, review, and explore three important skills. First, we will review the significance of tracking scopes and deliverables of a project, how to identify early on that a project is going sideways, and what kind of processes and roles need to be in place to ensure a smooth delivery. After that, we will move on to discover a few techniques which can be useful to wield influences, to invoke changes to the organization, and to nudge the strategic directions. Last but not least, we will explore a few common leverages to improving the narrative of both the verbal and written communication, everything from e-mail to functional specification, to serve the objective of amplifying the clarity, reducing ambiguities, and delivering the message. For each of these skills, we will also determine the success indicators, potential surprises, and follow-up resources for further in-depth study.