How to Successfully Land Projects at Big Tech
Lessons from Leading a Google Ads Product
Landing a project in big tech isn’t just about writing code or closing tickets—it’s about navigating ambiguity, aligning teams, and meeting business goals. I learned this lesson the hard way while leading projects in Google Ads, where success wasn’t determined by technical breakthroughs alone but by the ability to orchestrate diverse efforts into a cohesive whole.
One project, in particular, stands out. We were tasked with building a new ads product that could scale to millions of campaigns while integrating seamlessly across multiple backend services. The technical challenges were daunting, but they weren’t what kept me up at night.
The real hurdles came from managing competing priorities across teams—product managers wanted rapid delivery, sales pushed for client-specific features, and engineering was laser-focused on technical scalability. The project’s success depended on finding common ground and ensuring everyone worked toward a shared vision.
This experience taught me a key truth: Projects don’t land by accident. They land because someone takes ownership of making them land.
Before diving into my experiences, I want to take a moment to thank Sean Goedecke for his incredible post, How to Ship. His thoughtful insights on the challenges and nuances of shipping in big tech deeply resonated with me and inspired me to reflect on my own journey at Google. Sean’s article captures the essence of what it takes to deliver impactful projects in a large organization, and I hope my story adds to this important conversation.
The Challenge of Landing in Big Tech
Landing a project is rarely straightforward. Even with the code written and tests passing, the default state of most projects is to be delayed, deprioritized, or even canceled. Why? Because delivery is about more than technical execution—it’s about solving organizational challenges that don’t show up in your Git history.
In my Google Ads project, we hit a major roadblock when one of our dependencies—a critical internal service—was overwhelmed by the increased traffic from our feature. The timeline was in jeopardy, and leadership started losing confidence in our ability to deliver. It was a pivotal moment. Do we delay the launch and risk losing momentum, or do we find a way to adapt?
The solution lay in simplification. We stripped the feature down to its most essential components and implemented a fallback plan that allowed us to launch without relying on the overloaded service. The scaled-back version wasn’t perfect, but it worked—and it gave us the breathing room to improve incrementally post-launch.
The takeaway? Landing isn’t just a technical milestone; it’s a business and organizational milestone. It’s about delivering something functional and valuable, even if it isn’t flawless.
What Does “Landing” Mean in a Big Tech Company?
In large organizations, landing a project isn’t as simple as deploying code or launching a feature. Landing is a social construct—a project is considered successful only when leadership recognizes it as a win.
At Google, this often meant getting visible buy-in from key stakeholders. A VP’s acknowledgment in an email, a feature highlight in an all-hands meeting, or even a simple “great job” from a director could turn a technical accomplishment into an organizational success. Without this recognition, even the best-engineered projects risk being seen as failures.
This understanding shaped how I approached leadership alignment. Instead of focusing solely on technical implementation, I prioritized communication and ensured that our goals aligned with leadership’s expectations. If the team’s vision didn’t resonate with company priorities, we adjusted course until it did.
Preventing Issues Before They Derail a Project
The most significant blockers to landing are often invisible at the start. Dependencies, unforeseen technical challenges, or misaligned priorities can all derail progress. Here’s how I mitigated these risks:
Deploy Early and Frequently
During the Google Ads project, we set up feature flags and a robust staging environment to test as much as possible before going live. This surfaced hidden issues early, allowing us to address them before they became critical.
Ask Constantly: “Can We Launch Right Now?”
This simple question forced clarity. If the answer was no, I drilled down to understand what needed to change. In one instance, this meant implementing a temporary workaround to keep the timeline intact.
Develop Backup Plans
For every major dependency, I ensured we had a fallback plan. When our reliance on an internal service became a bottleneck, we prepared a scaled-back version of the feature that could function independently.
Shifting Focus as a Project Lead
In the early stages of a project, I often dove deep into technical work. For example, I built proofs of concept to de-risk uncertain areas. But as the project progressed, my role evolved. I stepped back from implementation to focus on orchestration—resolving dependencies, coordinating teams, and clearing blockers.
This shift wasn’t just practical; it was essential. Delegating coding tasks to the team freed up my time to address cross-functional challenges and communicate progress effectively. It also allowed me to anticipate and resolve last-minute issues, ensuring a smooth launch.
Key Takeaways for Landing Success
Make Landing Your Priority
As a lead, your job is to deliver results, not to chase perfection.
Understand What “Success” Looks Like
Align your efforts with leadership’s goals and expectations.
Communicate Early and Often
Regular updates build trust and prevent surprises.
Anticipate Problems Before They Arise
Test early, simplify dependencies, and prepare fallback plans.
Adjust Your Role as You Approach Launch
Shift from technical contributor to strategic coordinator.
Focus on Progress, Not Perfection
A functional solution today is better than a perfect one tomorrow.
Final Thoughts: Owning the Outcome
Landing a project isn’t just about engineering—it’s about leadership, strategy, and persistence. At Google, I saw firsthand how successful leads weren’t just great coders; they were exceptional communicators and problem-solvers.
If you make landing your priority, align with your leadership’s vision, and tackle challenges with confidence, you’ll do more than just deliver projects—you’ll establish yourself as the go-to person for high-impact work. And that’s a milestone worth aiming for.