CTO Duties: Startup vs Series B Scale-up.
Startup with under 10 engineers - No PMF
CTO Role: Hands on create PoC/MVP:
- Develop and Prioritise core features: Create only the essential features for functionality, which address the core customers’ problem/need. Rank them by basic functionality.
- Use rapid prototyping tools: Create a visual of your product with wireframing and prototyping software.
- Gather feedback & iterate: Get feedback from prospective users/stakeholders. Make improvements and iterate on your MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
- Test quickly to validate: Carry out usability testing, A/B testing, or gathering user feedback. Test quickly, test often.
- Focus on speed & launch: No time for perfection. Launch your MVP quickly to validate and start gathering data. You will find lots of reasons why you shouldn’t – that’s your emotional brain trying not to fail. Take any rejection or negative feedback as learning, not an attack on your “baby”.
Series B - Assumed PMF:
CTO role: Scale production processes while maintaining speed and quality with a significantly larger team.
- Develop & automate scalable processes: Automate repetitive asks to increase efficiency, reduce errors. Ensure that processes are well-documented, easily understood by the team.
- Tech stack evaluation & optimization: Regularly assess the technology stack to ensure it can support scalability. Optimise technology infrastructure to handle increased workload and demand.
- Clear team structure, communication & talent development: make adjustments to team structure, create clear communication channels, encourage knowledge sharing within engineering and with other departments.
- Effective QA & testing: create quality assurance processes: Prioritise automated and continuous testing into the development workflow, proactively monitor and analyse performance metrics to identify areas for improvement.
- Optimise, Optimise, Optimise: track system performance with monitoring tools, identify bottlenecks, proactively address performance issues, continuously optimise production processes.
reference: Adelina