5 Types Of Questions To Ask During A Team Introduction Session

Q: "I just joined a company as a Product Manager. I'm going to meet the lead engineer for the first time. What do I ask? Where do I even begin?"

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When you're inheriting a pre-existing product, it's important that you strike a strong chord with your engineering and design teams. The first impression counts for a lot, so it's best to approach it with some preparation at hand.

Having said that, do NOT make it an interrogation.

Make sure you engage like a human being, just like you'd meet someone new. It's important that they see you as an ally, not someone who'll be breathing down their neck every time the sprint bells are rung.

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Here's a little question list to help you out. Note that you don't need to ask everything in one session. Try to weave them naturally into the conversation.

Small Talk

Introduce yourself. Actively listen to their intro and find a subject that's common to you both. Kickoff a conversation to know more about them. Talk about the city, interest, hobbies etc.

Warm up the synergy.

People

Learn more about who is on the team & how it's structured:

• How many engineers do we have? Designers? QAs?
• What's the team structure like? What modules have they worked on?
• (If you inspected the product before & had specific questions on certain areas, discuss who'd be the best person to get answers on it.)

Product

• Can you draw the product architecture & a high-level system diagram? What components are in play?
• What's the tech stack like? Databases? APIs? Micro-services or client-server models?
• Who has been delivering specs to you till now? Who owns the product definition?
• What do you think a Product Manager does? What do you think I'll be doing?
• What artefacts do you expect from me? Do you have a format that you prefer? Where do you struggle in terms of spec definition?
• What feature has been successful in your view? Why do you think so?
• What product decision till now have you been most excited about? What did you hate? Why?
• How happy are you with the code quality? Have you been taking any shortcuts to meet time?
• Are there are any product quality issues you think need my attention asap?

Processes

• How does your typical day look like?
• Are there features where you're not clear on "the why" behind them?
• Are you clear on the product specs before coding begins? What happens if there is ambiguity? Who calls the shot?
• What product management process are we using? Scrum? Any concerns on that?
• What's the ticketing lifecycle like (start to end)? What do you like about it? What can be improved?
• Who has been assigning you tickets? Sales, CEO, QAs etc?
• Is there anything slowing you down in terms of development?

Priorities

• What are the top bugs that you're looking into?
• Where's the active backlog? The next sprint?
• What are you (as a team lead) currently working on in the next few weeks?
• Biggest challenge you're worried about?