Am I missing something?

Probably. Moving into the role of Feature Lead at work, but I keep getting the impression that I'm forgetting to do something, or that someone is expecting me to do something I'm not... Don't think that feeling will improve, as I have been able to rely on the previous Feature Lead. Until tomorrow because that's when he's incommunicado for a few weeks. Guess there is no learning like being cast into the thick of it.

Trying to tease out what exactly the role is. We've been told that a Feature Lead is a role, which is a fancy way of saying "do more stuff with no additional financial compensation". That part was actually spelled out a few times too, just in case some might think they'd be getting more out of it. No, the rewards are more in the opportunity itself - the chance to build soft skills, talk to more than the bottom of your coffee mug and possibly even make a difference in someone's life (note: someone that is not you). The tasks that I had a good idea about before have been easy to pick up. Funny how it is easier to do something when you know what that something is, but that's never really stopped anyone before. The things I worry about are the personal connections and implied relationships that the previous Feature Lead built up.

Guess I need to get a better feel for how to gauge priorities, who to talk to and when to talk to them. That's the entire role I suppose, so I still have much to learn. What I have been trying to do is to act more as a guide to authority. The pre-Agile culture had rigid hierarchys, so someone who told you what to do generally had authority (responsibility) over (for) you. The ideal Agile culture has a flat hierarchy with people seeking expertise and information directly. Roles like a Feature Lead are there to enable such flow - the Feature Lead needs to help the team connect with the right people or find the right info. They don't provide the information nor act as a proxy for other people. I think, but I'm not sure that, this boils down to the Feature Lead delegating (reflecting?) tasks.

For example, if a team member comes to the Feature Lead with a question about a component, the Feature Lead would suggest talking with a member of the group responsible for that component. The Feature Lead doesn't need to know the information so it isn't useful for the Feature Lead to find it out. The team member needs the information, so they discover it directly. This takes some time initially, but further queries can bypass all the people that aren't involved, making a nice, efficient work flow.

The catch is, the feature lead needs to keep track of what is going on, but at a level that doesn't require detail. That's the balance I'm still seeking. The other task of a Feature Lead is to interact with other teams or people that require status, information or work from the feature team. That's the other part I am unsure of yet. No problems interacting with the people that seek me out, I just worry that there is someone waiting for me to show up and provide information. And of course I don't know who or where they are... but they should work harder to seem me out gosh darn it!

Anyway, enough angst for now. Things are starting and haven't collapsed, so I'm happy. But yet strangely tired...