How a Lead Software Engineer Ensures an Epic Is Buildable

January 26, 2026

How a Lead Software Engineer Ensures an Epic Is Buildable

In many engineering organisations, epics fail not because of poor execution, but because they were never buildable to begin with.

They enter the backlog with vague intent, hidden assumptions, unclear boundaries, and optimistic timelines. The result is predictable: rework, stalled delivery, friction between product and engineering, and missed roadmap commitments.

As a Lead Software Engineer, one of your most important responsibilities is not writing code—it is ensuring that the work your team commits to can actually be delivered predictably.

This article outlines a practical framework you can use to assess epic buildability before work begins.

What "buildable" actually means

An epic is buildable when the team can start work with a shared understanding of:

  • What problem is being solved
  • What systems are involved
  • What risks exist
  • How the work can be sequenced
  • What "done" looks like in operational terms

Buildable does not mean every detail is known. It means uncertainty is explicit, scoped, and managed.

The BUILD Framework

To make this assessment repeatable, I use a simple mental model: BUILD.

Each letter represents a dimension you should be confident about before committing to delivery.

B - Business Intent Is Technically Translatable

As an engineer, you are not responsible for defining business value—but you are responsible for ensuring that business intent can be translated into system behaviour.

You should be able to explain:

  • The core problem in one sentence
  • Who or what is affected
  • What observable outcome indicates success

If you cannot explain the epic clearly to another engineer in under 30 seconds, it is not ready.

Common red flags

  • "Improve performance" with no baseline or target
  • Multiple goals bundled into a single epic
  • Outcomes defined only in abstract business terms

Your role Reframe intent in concrete, system-level language and push for a single primary outcome.

U - Unknowns Are Explicitly Identified

Unknowns are inevitable. Hidden unknowns are dangerous.

A buildable epic makes uncertainty visible.

You should know:

  • What assumptions are being made
  • What information is missing
  • What requires discovery or validation

Common red flags

  • "We’ll figure it out as we go"
  • External dependencies assumed but not confirmed
  • Design or API decisions deferred without ownership

Your role Document unknowns directly in the epic and convert major ones into:

  • Time-boxed spikes
  • Explicit assumptions with risk notes
  • Follow-up decisions with clear owners

Delivery risk drops significantly once uncertainty is acknowledged.

I - Interfaces and Boundaries Are Defined

Most delivery issues emerge at system boundaries.

Before starting, you should be clear on:

  • Which services, modules, or teams are involved
  • Which APIs, schemas, or events are affected
  • What is explicitly out of scope

Common red flags

  • Cross-team work without alignment
  • Data ownership unclear
  • Scope bleeding across layers (UI, API, data)

Your role Define boundaries early and document ownership. Explicitly state what will not be touched.

If boundaries are unclear, estimates are unreliable.

L - Lifecycle and Non-Functional Requirements Are Considered

An epic is not buildable if it only considers the "happy path."

You should have early answers to:

  • Performance expectations
  • Security and privacy considerations
  • Observability (logs, metrics, alerts)
  • Rollout and rollback strategy

Common red flags

  • Monitoring deferred to "later"
  • No migration or rollback plan
  • Feature flags added as an afterthought

Your role Surface non-functional requirements at the epic level and decide upfront how the change will be introduced into production.

Late discovery of these concerns is one of the most common causes of delivery slippage.

D - Decomposable Into Coherent Stories

An epic that cannot be sensibly broken down is not ready.

You should be confident that:

  • Stories can be delivered independently
  • Early stories de-risk later ones
  • Partial completion still provides value

Common red flags

  • Stories that all depend on the final task
  • "Do everything" stories
  • Large stories hiding major unknowns

Your role Roughly sketch the story sequence and validate that the first few stories reduce uncertainty rather than create it.

If you cannot outline the first 2–3 stories, the epic is premature.

T - Team Readiness and Capacity Are Realistic

Buildability is contextual. The same epic may be buildable for one team and risky for another.

You should assess:

  • Whether the team has the necessary skills
  • Whether key contributors are available
  • Whether the work introduces new cognitive load

Common red flags

  • Critical knowledge held by a single person
  • Parallel delivery assumptions that ignore capacity
  • Aggressive timelines with no contingency

Your role Surface readiness risks early and adjust scope, sequencing, or expectations accordingly.

Ambition must be aligned with actual team capability.

Using the framework in practice

  • Before refinement: Run the BUILD checklist yourself and annotate gaps.
  • During refinement: Use BUILD as a structured discussion tool, not a gatekeeping exercise.
  • With stakeholders: Frame concerns as risk reduction, not resistance.

A useful phrasing:

"From a buildability perspective, we still have a few material unknowns. I’d recommend addressing those before committing to a delivery date."

Final thought

Ensuring an epic is buildable is not about slowing teams down—it is about protecting delivery predictability, team morale, and trust with stakeholders.

As a Lead Software Engineer, your leverage comes from asking the right questions early, not from heroics late in the sprint.

A buildable epic is one the team can execute with confidence.