As a tech lead, it’s inevitable that you will face a situation where a team member is not meeting expectations. Here’s how I handle such situations:

Clarify expectations: The first step is to clarify expectations and ensure that the team member understands what is expected of them. This includes discussing the project’s goals and objectives and outlining specific tasks and responsibilities.

Provide feedback: Provide constructive feedback to the team member on their performance. Be specific and highlight both positive and negative aspects of their work. It’s important to ensure that feedback is given in a supportive manner, with a focus on how the team member can improve.

Offer support: Offer support to the team member by providing resources, training, and mentoring. This will help them improve their skills and meet expectations.

Set goals: Work with the team member to set specific goals and timelines for improvement. These goals should be achievable and measurable, so progress can be tracked over time.

Follow up: Regularly follow up with the team member to assess their progress and provide ongoing feedback and support. This will help keep them accountable and ensure that they are making progress towards meeting expectations.

Consider consequences: If the team member is still not meeting expectations after efforts to provide feedback, support, and coaching, it may be necessary to consider consequences, such as adjusting their role, reassigning tasks, or terminating employment. However, this should only be considered as a last resort, after all other efforts have been made to support the team member.

In summary, handling a team member who is not meeting expectations requires a combination of clear communication, feedback, support, goal-setting, follow-up, and consideration of consequences, if necessary.