Service Lead — Execution Guides

Purpose: How SLs sign off on technical work and hold ICs accountable without micromanaging.

Last updated: 2026-03-30

Technical Approval

§5 Technical approach — stack, patterns, environments, integration points
Effort and sequencing — dates must be defensible given team and dependencies
Open questions / blockers (§6) — SL flags what must be true before commitment

SL challenges anything technically incoherent but does not rewrite §§2–4 (CSO owns narrative).

Mode	When to use
Async (preferred)	CSO shares doc; SL comments in §7; CSO incorporates before Project Review Meeting
Focused session	Large unknowns, new stack, multi-pod dependency — time-boxed, agenda’d
In-room (exception)	HoD explicitly pulls SL in for narrow technical question during PRM

SL sign-off means: “If we execute as written, the technical path is sound and estimates are honest within known unknowns.”

Surface uncertainty so HoD judges business risk — don’t hide it behind optimism.

Work maps to Linear Issue with one assignee, linked to Project
Escalate within hours when blocked — not days of silent drift
Definition of done includes review, tests, and handoff notes when client-facing

Cadence	Action
Daily	Scan blockers in Linear; unblock with short pairing or written guidance
Weekly	Quality pass on merged/in-review work; update technical health notes
Ongoing	Model AI-assisted workflows; capture assets worth productizing

Scope creep → Align with CSO before accepting new build work
Repeated estimate misses → Root-cause with IC; escalate pattern to HoD if systemic
Quality risk → Document tradeoff for CSO/sponsor when it affects dates

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