Roles · Desktop Developer (.NET WPF/WinUI/MAUI) · Lead

What a Lead } should know

38 core skills, 53 in total. Expectations per skill, and what changes at the next level.

This page lists what a Lead } is expected to know and do, skill by skill. Core skills are the ones a manager and peers assess in a review cycle; the rest count only in self-assessment. Main areas: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Frontend Development.

38core skills
15additional skills
13skill areas
100%at Advanced or Expert
Assess myself as Lead Full role matrix

Core skills for a Lead

Grouped by area. The label on the right is the expected depth: Awareness, Working, Advanced or Expert.

Programming Fundamentals · 11

Conducts algorithmic reviews for .NET desktop projects. Defines performance standards. Mentors on algorithm optimization in C#.

Defines async strategy for .NET desktop platform. Establishes async coding standards. Coordinates transition to new async patterns in .NET.

Establishes code quality standards for .NET desktop team. Defines metrics, coordinates technical debt. Introduces automated quality gates.

Defines data layer standards for .NET desktop. Coordinates collection selection for performance-critical code. Mentors on data structures in .NET.

Defines architectural patterns for .NET desktop team. Conducts design reviews, selects optimal patterns. Establishes pattern catalog for the team.

Defines memory management strategy for .NET desktop. Establishes memory budgets. Coordinates GC tuning and optimization sprints.

Defines memory profiling strategy for .NET desktop. Establishes memory SLA and regression policies. Coordinates memory optimization sprints.

Defines concurrency model for .NET desktop platform. Establishes async/await standards, coordinates thread safety. Conducts concurrent code reviews.

Defines OOP standards for .NET desktop team. Conducts design review. Establishes coding guidelines for composition, DI, interface design.

Defines type safety strategy for .NET desktop. Establishes guidelines for nullable, records, pattern matching. Conducts reviews focused on type safety.

Backend Development · 1

ASP.NET Core Expert

Defines .NET platform strategy for desktop. Coordinates shared code between desktop and web. Establishes .NET best practices for the team.

Frontend Development · 1

Defines component testing strategy for the team. Establishes component quality standards. Coordinates component library testing.

Database Management · 2

Defines indexing strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates database performance optimization. Establishes indexing guidelines.

PostgreSQL Expert

Defines database strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates schema design. Establishes EF Core best practices.

API & Integration · 1

Defines API integration strategy for .NET desktop. Establishes error handling and resilience standards. Coordinates API contracts with backend.

DevOps & CI/CD · 1

Defines CI/CD strategy for .NET desktop team. Coordinates release automation. Introduces quality gates.

Testing & QA · 3

E2E Testing Expert

Defines E2E strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates E2E infrastructure. Balances coverage and maintenance cost. Establishes test automation roadmap.

Defines integration testing strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates test infrastructure. Establishes integration testing standards.

Unit Testing Expert

Defines testing strategy for .NET desktop team. Establishes coverage targets and quality gates. Coordinates test infrastructure.

Security · 2

Defines security strategy for .NET desktop team. Establishes security guidelines. Coordinates security audit and penetration testing.

Defines secure coding standards for .NET team. Establishes security review process. Coordinates security training.

AI-Assisted Development · 2

Defines LLM strategy for .NET team. Establishes AI usage policies. Coordinates AI-assisted development.

Defines AI-assisted development strategy for .NET team. Establishes Copilot guidelines. Evaluates ROI.

Observability & Monitoring · 1

Defines logging strategy for .NET desktop. Establishes logging standards with GDPR compliance. Coordinates observability infrastructure.

Version Control & Collaboration · 2

Code Review Expert

Defines code review process for .NET desktop team. Establishes review checklist. Coordinates review workflow.

Git Advanced Expert

Defines Git strategy for .NET desktop team. Establishes branching model and release process. Coordinates merge policies.

Desktop Development · 8

Defines update strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates update pipeline with CI/CD (GitHub Actions/Azure DevOps). Establishes SLA for update delivery.

Avalonia UI Expert

Defines Avalonia vs WPF/WinUI strategy for cross-platform scenarios. Coordinates Avalonia development, establishes component library. Plans migration from WPF to Avalonia.

Defines .NET desktop distribution strategy. Coordinates packaging with CI/CD, establishes signing and notarization standards. Plans enterprise distribution through Intune/SCCM.

Defines IPC strategy for .NET desktop platform. Establishes protocol standards, coordinates compatibility between .NET and native components through P/Invoke.

MVVM Pattern Expert

Defines MVVM standards for .NET desktop team. Establishes coding guidelines, conducts architecture review. Mentors on MVVM patterns in WPF/WinUI.

Defines offline-first strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates sync protocol with backend (Azure Mobile Apps). Establishes data standards and conflict resolution.

Defines plugin strategy for .NET desktop platform. Establishes plugin API standards, coordinates ecosystem. Plans plugin security review and certification.

Defines .NET desktop technical strategy (WPF vs WinUI 3 vs MAUI). Establishes UI standards and component library. Conducts architecture review, plans migration to new .NET versions.

Performance Engineering · 3

CPU Profiling Expert

Defines CPU profiling strategy for .NET desktop. Establishes performance budgets. Coordinates performance optimization sprints.

Defines latency SLA for .NET desktop. Coordinates latency optimization. Introduces automated latency monitoring in CI.

Defines memory performance strategy for .NET desktop. Coordinates memory optimization. Establishes memory performance SLA.

Additional skills

Not assessed by the team, but part of the self-assessment and the development plan.

API DocumentationAWSCursor IDEDockerGraphQL DesignJWT / OAuth2 / OIDCKubernetes CoreNetwork FundamentalsOpenTelemetryPrometheus & GrafanaPrompt Engineering for CodeRedisSLI / SLO / SLASystem Design FundamentalsTerraform

What changes at Principal

0 skills get a higher expectation or become core when moving from Lead to Principal. The biggest jumps first.

See the Principal page →
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} in the open competency matrix: 53 skills across 5 levels. The matrix is free for individuals and stays free.