Amplifying Your Impact: Leveraging Tools and Technology
Series: The Effective Engineer — by Edmond Lau
Welcome back to my series on The Effective Engineer by Edmond Lau.
In previous posts, we discussed the importance of focusing on high impact work through prioritisation. Today, we’ll explore another key principle: how to leverage tools and technology to multiply your effectiveness.
Why Leverage Matters
Leverage is about amplifying your output accomplishing more with the same amount of effort.
In engineering, this often means investing in tools, automation, and processes that free you from repetitive or low-value tasks.
Think of leverage as a force multiplier: small, well placed investments that create lasting impact.
The Power of Automation
Automation is one of the most powerful ways to increase leverage.
It might take time to build a script or pipeline once, but it pays dividends every time it runs automatically afterward.
Ask yourself:
- What do I do repeatedly that could be automated?
- Can I write a script, create a template, or improve a process?
Examples:
- Automating deployments with CI/CD.
- Writing scripts to generate reports or clean data.
- Using tools like Git hooks or linters to enforce quality automatically.
Every automation is time you win back — not just for yourself, but for your entire team.
Invest in the Right Tools
Great engineers use the right tools for the job. That doesn’t mean chasing every new framework — it means identifying bottlenecks and removing them strategically.
Questions to Guide You:
- Where do we spend the most manual effort?
- What tools could eliminate friction?
- Can an existing tool solve this before we build something new?
Remember: the goal isn’t more tools, it’s fewer, smarter tools that simplify your workflow.
Documentation and Reusability
Leverage isn’t only about code — it’s also about knowledge.
Writing good documentation, setting up onboarding guides, or creating reusable templates are all high-leverage activities. They save time for everyone who comes after you.
One hour spent documenting a tricky setup might save your team dozens of hours later.
My Experience
When I began automating repetitive testing tasks and documenting our build setup, it changed how my team operated.
Instead of spending hours on manual checks, we focused on innovation and improvement. Those small investments continue paying off today.
Actionable Tips
- Automate repetitive work. Even small scripts can save hours.
- Use CI/CD. Automate builds, tests, and deployments.
- Document processes. Turn tribal knowledge into shared resources.
- Adopt proven tools. Use what’s already reliable before reinventing.
- Continuously improve. Revisit tools regularly to identify inefficiencies.
Leverage is about working smarter, not harder.
By investing in the right tools and automation, you can spend more time solving meaningful problems — and less time repeating old ones.
Next up: Move Fast, Learn Faster — Quick Iteration and Continuous Learning →