By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
This Product in Practice story from Ramsey Solutions explains how the company got engineers to take part in product trios, despite their reluctance. Engineers feared falling behind technically and saw the tech lead role as an irreversible career fork. Leadership reframed the role as a temporary "hat" that engineers rotate through roughly every quarter or two, turning a one-way door into a two-way door. The article walks through how the rotation worked in practice, including warm hand-offs and early discovery tasks, and closes with lessons about the real costs of rotation and the need for a healthy, cohesive squad. The main takeaway is that adoption depends as much on reducing perceived career risk and building team culture as on the framework itself.
01Key takeaways
- Engineers' resistance to discovery often reflects career-risk concerns, so address those directly rather than just encouraging participation.
- Making a role rotational rather than permanent can lower the barrier for people to try new work.
- Rotate roles at the squad level and keep the wider squad involved in discovery so hand-offs stay smooth.
- Plan for ramp-up costs of new trio members and be honest that rotation trades some speed for broader skill and buy-in.
- Invest in team health through accountability, trust-building rituals, and healthy conflict before attempting rotation.
- Avoid implying hierarchy in role titles; frame roles around responsibilities and motivation rather than authority.
02Key sections
- Why engineers resisted the tech lead role
- Engineers worried that discovery work would stall their technical growth and that the tech lead title implied a hierarchy they didn't want. Many saw the role as a permanent career fork.
- Turning a one-way door into a two-way door
- Leadership made the tech lead role rotational, so engineers could try discovery work without committing their career direction. Durability was shifted to the squad level instead of the trio.
- Piloting the first tech lead and handing off
- The first tech lead used his engineering skills to close data and integration gaps, then ran assumption tests. A warm hand-off to the next engineer kept discovery momentum going.
- Lessons on cost, cohesion, and team health
- The team acknowledges rotation has ramp-up costs and depends on a well-connected squad. Regular rituals and healthy-conflict practices built the trust the rotation required.
03From the post
“It’s no secret that engineers can be hesitant to participate in product trios. They might feel anxious about taking on tasks that are new to them and outside their regular routine at work, like speaking directly with customers. They might fear that any time not spent coding is time”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.