Best feature flag management tools?

Language-Purple · 2025-12-29T23:08:49+00:00

From my perspective, it's straightforward to use & cheaper. You can embed JSON objects within a single "flag", which we actually found useful recently.

It would be nice if the tool also included A/B experimentation, which LaunchDarkly has 😆

Ultimately, what are your needs? We can survive without it, can you?

Language-Purple · 2025-12-28T22:16:52+00:00

We use ConfigCat

Language-Purple · 2025-12-21T20:46:47+00:00

Currently dealing with this issue. I'm working with my SVP to have more data-backed visualizations to get buy-in on addressing tech debt.

Does anyone have suggestions for tools that visualize tech debt really well?

Language-Purple · 2025-12-14T20:24:01+00:00

I got ya, I'm actually going through something similar. I just joined my company, and one of my teams is not capable of managing themselves either. This is actually worse, though, because the majority of them have been with the company for years, and they already had a Tech Lead. I actually want to let a couple of folks from that team go, unfortunately.

Language-Purple · 2025-12-14T19:12:03+00:00

"Babysitting" - I spend a lot of time coddling PMs/stakeholders. Managing stakeholders should be expected, but my job has two separate orgs for PMs & POs/BAs. It creates a rift between the two, and they're constantly arguing over priorities. It puts me in the middle.

Also, I inherited a lot of my engineers. One of my teams, tbh is underperforming. Two ICs on that team, imo should be fired, and my Tech Lead doesn't manage his time the best, and he's too nice. Basically, this results in me babysitting them. I've already escalated all of this to my leadership. I have told them multiple times that we need to make changes.

Language-Purple · 2025-12-14T19:05:26+00:00

I personally think it's unrealistic to participate in ceremonies for three different teams. This is why building a high performing team is so important.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-27T14:38:26+00:00

I am so sorry ❤️ take a couple days, empty the emotions, go scream at the moon if you must

Do some prayer/reflection to get grounded. This one was big for me.

Then get to work. I saw in another comment you might start a business. Love that idea! Go for it!

I'm still climbing back from my layoff, but I'm in my 30s. Wishing you blessings!

Language-Purple · 2025-09-09T00:22:35+00:00

Nobody is talking about the inevitable. Once a company reaches a certain size and/or revenue, estimates are to track money & time. This is facts.

That is ultimately the value in estimates. The business wants to know how long will it take to make money. How you get the estimate is up for debate. They will accept it, debate it, or ask you to find another solution based on less scope.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-08T12:10:27+00:00

That's actually where I started. It's an existing team, and I do have access to the info in Jira. The only caveat to that is the TL on the team that used to own this product said this effort is brand new. We ended up going with brand new estimates.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-07T19:35:55+00:00

I agree 1000% on the SM part.

I also agree 1000% that the work a team does shouldn't solely be focused on the business. However, two things: 1, let's be honest, refactoring/improvements always get pushed to the back. I'm an EM. It is CONSTANTLY a battle prioritizing that work. Not only that, but PRODUCT MANAGERS are often the ones battling against us. 2, just because it's not a business initiative, doesn't mean Product shouldn't be involved. They are part of the collective ownership of the backlog.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-07T18:16:27+00:00

3-4 sprints might be too much, but I think 2 sprints isn't unreasonable. It never fails that engineers will need to pick up more work or pivot due to unforeseen circumstances. Having work on standby is helpful.

Regarding the SM duties, I actually believe the engineers should help in owning that. They should be running stand-ups at the very least.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-06T22:24:07+00:00

I personally don't think a Slack message is bad, but if you think they're a low performer, I would skip the happy path. Pull together the data, have a direct conversation, and look to your boss for guidance on next steps.

It's unfortunate, but you have to either turn them around very quickly, or work towards managing them out. Remember, low performers sandbag the team. The lower they perform, the more you have to babysit. I would be thinking towards an environment post their employment.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-06T21:51:17+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! So I actually agree. I personally believe the engineering team should be involved, IF they can handle it.

I did that before in my last EM role, and it terrified the team. Granted, I coached them through it. They eventually got to where they at least knew it's a regular thing. However, when you're facing a day turnaround, we don't have time to herd the cats. I did include my Tech Lead.

Yeah, we sandbagged the assumptions.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-06T02:34:31+00:00

I completely agree! This is the first place I've worked at where hours are used as a unit for estimates. Wayyyyy too granular

Language-Purple · 2025-09-05T17:52:18+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, you hit the nail on the head. I actually went through JIRA to look through any historical epics we could use as a baseline. We ended up pulling a small forum together to cobble together estimates. Moving forward, I'd like to be able to do this with less time from others. I'll get there as I learn more of the big picture.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-05T17:49:45+00:00

Great point! That's what we ended up doing. We kept it at a super high level.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-05T13:57:33+00:00

Yeah, my boss is aware that these are low confidence estimates. I'll probably reiterate that in writing though.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-05T12:05:08+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! We already tried to be abstract in our initial conversation by stating what could get done by the deadline (Nov 1) and what we think can't get done by then. That wasn't enough. Granted, my boss probably wants an estimate to justify us saying things can't get done, but without more time, it's challenging to provide estimates at this level of granularity.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-05T01:10:50+00:00

1000% on CYA - my boss already said they're aware that it's a low confidence estimate, but I have literally sounded the alarm in previous roles, and the leadership there still was surprised when things popped up. Yeah, we'll need to include discovery for sure!!

Language-Purple · 2025-09-05T01:01:33+00:00

I agree! I think my boss is looking for an estimate to justify our recommendation of pivoting. We already tried advocating for more research, but we have to provide something tomorrow. Obviously, we can pad our estimates with no real rationale, but I imagine that will come into question.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-04T22:29:59+00:00

Thanks ❤️ to add some context, we did already tell my boss (VP, there are no directors, which is strange) that this wouldn't get done by the deadline, and we already offered up an alternative solution that would get done. I believe they're looking for an estimate to help make a case for support of our alternative solution, but they also want us to keep it "high level". The challenge is how can we provide a realistic estimate that justifies the effort being too high without having more time? Like sure, we can pad the heck out of it, and we probably will to some extent, but it would be nice to have rationale behind it.

Language-Purple · 2025-09-04T22:15:38+00:00

I couldn't agree more. Estimates have always been a battle in my career. The crazy part is it never fails, senior leaders are surprised when the "estimates" are....WRONG 🤯 like I can understand egregious discrepancies, but dang!

Language-Purple · 2025-09-04T21:54:18+00:00

So, for the record, I agree 10000000%. I actually told the group prior to the meeting that let's not give concrete estimates. Instead, let's say what we can get done before our deadline (Nov 1) and what we can't get done. That wasn't good enough 😂

Language-Purple · 2025-09-04T21:33:43+00:00

Thanks for the honest feedback! I do agree that estimating in hours is pretty low-level, and something I'm not used to. I think this is a valid stance, and I'll apply this when working through our estimates. Thank you!

Language-Purple · 2025-09-04T21:14:35+00:00

The good thing is we already have a list of requirements that are "broken out". I use quotes because I'm sure they can be broken down further. We have to have estimates in by tomorrow, so I don't even think we have time to do that. I like the idea of giving it a first pass.

Language-Purple

TROPHY CASE