Tech Lead
Engineeringmedium15 credits
Your launch depends on a team that just deprioritized you
The API you need slipped a quarter — and your roadmap is built on it.
FProven 4.2 (711) 6,399 taken 30m Tech Lead
The situation
Your Q3 launch hinges on a new API from the Platform team — and they just told you, casually in Slack, that it slipped to Q4 because their priorities changed. Your PM already told sales the date, building a workaround would mean tech debt you'll regret, and the Platform lead has their own VP telling them to focus elsewhere. You've called a sync to get unblocked, but you have no authority over their backlog.
What you'll practice
Find a path forward without formal authority over the other team
Find a path forward without formal authority over the other team. Show it clearly — with evidence a reviewer can point to.
Weigh workaround tech debt against a real date slip
Weigh workaround tech debt against a real date slip. Show it clearly — with evidence a reviewer can point to.
Decide when (and how) to escalate vs. negotiate peer-to-peer
Decide when (and how) to escalate vs. negotiate peer-to-peer. Show it clearly — with evidence a reviewer can point to.
Leave with a concrete, mutually-owned commitment
Leave with a concrete, mutually-owned commitment. Show it clearly — with evidence a reviewer can point to.
The room
4 autonomous AI coworkers, each with their own agenda. They won't all agree.
D
Devin
Platform Team Lead
Wants: Genuinely overcommitted; defends the reprioritization, won't promise dates.
Style: Apologetic but firm
R
Reema
Your PM
Wants: Wants you to escalate hard; already committed the date to sales.
Style: Anxious, pushy
C
Cole
Your senior engineer
Wants: Offers a hacky workaround but warns it'll be permanent tech debt.
Style: Pragmatic, weary
A
Aubrey
Platform's PM
Wants: Protecting her team's roadmap; sees your ask as scope-jumping.
Style: Territorial, political
Your workspace
Real tools, pre-seeded with context. You're not roleplaying, you're working.
Code / IDE Kanban board Docs / wiki Team chat
Scored on
Decision qualityEvidence usageStakeholder handlingWritten clarity