📘 CASE STUDY — Part IX: Leading a Migration Without Authority (Cross-Team)
SECTION 0 — SCENARIO
You need to migrate from legacy auth to a new auth service.
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6 teams
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no direct authority
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everyone is busy
Leadership is the ability to create motion anyway.
SECTION 1 — ALIGN ON WHY (THE LEVER)
Create a one-page narrative:
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risk of staying
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benefits of moving
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timeline pressure
Make it emotionally and technically clear.
SECTION 2 — PROVIDE THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
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migration guide
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SDK/client
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example PR
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office hours
Senior rule:
Influence is removing friction, not demanding compliance.
SECTION 3 — BREAK INTO MIGRATION WAVES
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start with one pilot team
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document pitfalls
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then scale to others
SECTION 4 — DEFINE SUCCESS + TRACK IT
Dashboard:
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% traffic on new auth
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error rates
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top blockers
SECTION 5 — EXERCISE
Write your migration RFC:
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phases
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risk
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rollback
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what you need from each team