The 5-Minute vs 5-Day Rule: Finding the Sweet Spot for Developer Support

One of the hardest challenges in managing software teams is knowing when to step in and when to step back.

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with CTO coach Stephen Schmidt about this exact problem.

His insight? There's a sweet spot between the developer who asks for help every 5 minutes and the one who stays stuck for 5 days without saying a word.

The Support Timing Problem

As Stephen puts it: "If I give you something to work on and you come back five minutes later, that's too early. But if you come in five days and you're stuck for five days... that's too long."

This timing challenge directly impacts how we hold engineers accountable.

Why Timing Matters

Poor support timing creates two types of accountability problems.

The "Too Early" Problem

When developers ask for help too quickly, it creates a cascade of issues throughout the team. They never develop the problem-solving muscles needed for true ownership. Every small obstacle becomes a reason to interrupt more senior team members.

I've seen entire teams grind to a halt because junior developers were trained to seek help before attempting solutions. The managers become bottlenecks, spending their days answering questions instead of driving the team forward.

Most importantly, these developers never learn to take real ownership of their work. They're always looking for someone else to make decisions or solve problems that they could handle themselves with a bit more effort.

The "Too Late" Problem

The opposite scenario can be even more damaging.

When developers stay stuck for days without speaking up, small problems grow into project-threatening issues.

I've watched teams miss critical deadlines because a developer spent days struggling with a problem they could have solved in hours with the right help. Projects fall behind silently, with no red flags until it's too late.

This silence also erodes trust on both sides. Managers start to doubt their team's ability to deliver, while developers feel increasingly isolated and unsupported. The result? A team culture where problems are hidden instead of solved.

Finding the Sweet Spot

The key is customizing your approach based on experience level.

As Stephen shared, "With a junior, I would check in every day. With a senior, best I would never check in."

For Junior Developers:

• Regular, scheduled check-ins

• Clear guidelines about when to ask for help

• Explicit permission to raise concerns

For Senior Developers:

• Trust them to manage their own support needs

• Set clear expectations about communication

• Create space for them to take ownership

The Role of Courage

At Full Scale, we emphasize courage - the willingness to speak up, ask questions, and admit when you need help.

Without this courage, no support timing system will work. Your developers will either stay stuck too long or never learn to solve problems independently.

Creating the Right Environment

To make this work, you need:

Clear Ownership Make it explicit what each team member owns and what that ownership means.

Trust As Stephen points out, "Trust is kind of a lubricant that makes everything go smoother."

Safety to Speak Up Create an environment where asking questions is encouraged, not seen as weakness.

The Bottom Line

The right time to ask for help lies somewhere between 5 minutes and 5 days. Your job as a leader is to help each team member find their sweet spot.

Holding developers accountable isn't about strict rules or constant oversight.

It's about creating an environment where they can succeed - and knowing when to step in and when to step back.

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