Road to tech leadership

Introduction
Make the leap from senior developer to confident tech leader in just two focused half-days.

Detailed description
You’re a skilled software developer who delivers quality code and earns your team’s respect. Moving into tech leadership brings a new set of challenges, and many developers face this transition without much preparation. This training helps bridge that gap. Led by Bert Jan Schrijver, CTO at OpenValue, Java Champion, and NLJUG Leader with over ten years of tech lead experience, you will explore the frameworks, techniques, and practical approaches that usually take years to develop in just two half-day sessions. You will address common challenges for new tech leads, including delegating effectively, resolving conflicts, managing stakeholders, and balancing technical priorities with delivery demands. The training is hands-on and interactive, using real-world cases from participants’ own projects. Through discussion and practice, you will gain strategies you can apply immediately. Whether you are stepping into your first tech lead role or want to strengthen your leadership skills, this training provides practical tools and insights to lead effectively and confidently.

Prerequisites
This training is intended for developers with at least a few years of professional software development experience. It is designed for those who are confident in their technical skills and are ready to focus on developing their leadership abilities.

Target audience
Perfect for senior developers interested in taking on a tech lead role, or current tech leads who want to formalize their approach and learn from an experienced practitioner. If you have professional development experience and are ready to lead, this training is for you.

Learning goals

Educate yourself with the essentials of tech leadership:

• Leadership models, ways of leading & guiding a team
• The mental shift from maker to multiplier
• Stakeholder management
• Delegating work
• Resolving conflicts
• Making technical decisions
• QA & technical debt
• Forming a technical vision

Topics covered

Real life leadership challenges:

• Leadership models and approaches for tech leads
• The maker to multiplier mindset shift
• Effective stakeholder management
• Delegation strategies and team empowerment
• Conflict resolution techniques
• Technical decision-making frameworks
• Quality assurance and managing technical debt
• Creating and communicating technical vision

Training outline

• Day 1 (4 hours): leadership (leadership models, delegating work, conflict management)
• Day 2 (4 hours): tech (making decision, QA, forming a technical vision)

Course format
This is an in-person classroom training that can be delivered at an OpenValue office or as an in-company training.

Certification
Participants receive a certificate of completion upon finishing the training.

Next steps
For more information about expanding your knowledge past this course, check out our entire training portfolio at www.openvalue.training or in your learning management system. Contact us at training@openvalue.nl for personal learning advice or customized on-demand training and just contact your OpenValue trainer during the training course.

Provided training material
Learning material with slides and exercises will be available for the participants.

About the trainer
Bert Jan is CTO at OpenValue and focuses on Java, Software architecture, Continuous Delivery and DevOps. Bert Jan is a Java Champion, JavaOne Rock Star speaker, Duke’s Choice Award winner and leads NLJUG, the Dutch Java User Group. He loves to share his experience by speaking at conferences, writing for the Dutch Java magazine and helping out Devoxx4Kids with teaching kids how to code. Bert Jan is easily reachable on Twitter at @bjschrijver. Bert Jan has 10+ years of experience as a tech lead in organizations ranging from startup to enterprise. As a trainer, Bert Jan has 15+ years of experience giving training in the area of software development, software architecture, microservices, cloud, Continuous Delivery and DevOps.

Note: This training can be given in Dutch or English at one of the OpenValue offices (Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Munich, Dusseldorf, Vienna, Zurich) or at your own location. Please contact us to discuss possibilities for a remote training and for training in German.