A lead programmer is a software engineer in charge of one or more software projects. Sometimes they are referred to as Development Lead, Technical Lead or Senior Software Engineer though both these titles may have different meanings depending on their context. Software engineering (SE) is the profession concerned with specifying, designing, developing and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, and other fields. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

A lead programmer's exact responsibilities vary from company to company, but in general they are responsible for the underlying architecture for the software program and for overseeing the work being done by any other software engineers working on the project. It is also common for them to act as mentors for new or lower-level software engineers. Software architecture is a coherent set of abstract patterns guiding the design of each aspect of a larger software system. ... In Greek mythology, Mentor (sometimes Mentes) was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. ...

Although the responsibilities are primarily technical, lead programmers also generally serve as an interface between the programmers and management and have some management responsibilities in delegating work and ensuring that software projects come in on time and budget. Lead programmers also serve as technical advisers to management and provide programming perspective on requirements. Generally a lead programmer will oversee a development team of between two and ten programmers with three to five being generally considered the ideal size. Teams larger than ten programmers tend to become unmanageable without additional structure.

Lead programmers are generally trained in software programming although many do not have formal degrees in the subject, and learn management responsibilities either on the job or through short courses. Because their primary training is technical rather than managerial, lead programmers tend to be seen and to see themselves as part of the technical staff of a company rather as part of management. This cultural identification is important since subordinate programmers will tend to not take direction from someone who they perceive to be lacking in technical skill.

Famous lead programmers

A lead programmer usually spends his career mired in obscurity. However some have broken the mold and, through some ground-breaking work, have become internationally famous. Some renowned lead programmers include:

• John Carmack
• Bjarne Stroustrup
• Donald Knuth
• Grace Hopper