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Aligning Incentives During a Feature Handoff

When presenting a feature handoff to another group, it is important to come up with a long-term strategy that demonstrates a clear business impact. Present two options to the team in an objective way, such as continuing to work towards their goal or using the proposed feature to increase user growth. Leadership will likely prefer user growth, so it is important to be concrete about where time is being invested and what the outcome will be. Additionally, having a good working relationship with other teams is essential to ensure they feel empowered.

From Software Engineer to Managing The Responsibilities of A Product Team

Shilpi, a product manager at Slack, faced the challenge of aligning cross-functional teams, deciding whether to be first to market or create the most viable product, and knowing when to switch gears and allocate resources towards another feature set. To overcome these challenges, she hired four new engineers, took a collaborative approach, and put her people first. She also asked herself the question, "What would make this product successful?" and focused on building a strong foundation. By doing this, she was able to receive valuable feedback, switch gears on projects, and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.

Goal Alignment and XFN Pilots Work Prioritization

This article discusses the various frameworks for prioritizing work in a team setting. It suggests using an OKR process, cross-functional teams, and buy-in from stakeholders and upper management to create alignment on objectives. It also emphasizes the importance of agreement on goals and urgency in order to ensure successful prioritization and alignment.

Key Components to Running Test-Driven Development - Brief Primer

Test-driven development is a process that can improve the overall quality and speed of release times, but it requires a traceability matrix to document requirements and test cases, as well as a CI/CD system for feedback and execution. These two systems together ensure that the product is running quickly and smoothly.

Delivering Value By Focusing on Outcomes

This article outlines the steps taken to move an organization from a chaotic, activity-driven approach to a more outcome-based perspective. This included setting goals based on business problems, making smarter goals that were measurable, actionable, and attainable, and transitioning to a data-driven decision-making process. The team was also given ownership of issues and outcomes, and the OKR process was made more flexible and gamified. As a result, the team was more focused on getting business outcomes and the organization was able to become more data-driven.

Transforming a Slow and Unhealthy Engineering Org

This article outlines the process of transforming an engineering organization from disparate teams with a lack of process and consistency to one with a unified North Star and KPIs. The author used surveys to assess the teams' maturity levels, created a game plan of initiatives with assigned owners, and set milestones for progress. The author also learned that executive buy-in is important, a psychologically safe environment should be created, teams should be given ownership of the process, wins should be celebrated, and the leader should lead by example.

Restructuring After the Acquisition of New Teams

After an organization acquired another company of similar size, the leader of engineering was overwhelmed with the added responsibility. To address this, the leader implemented a new structure with two clusters, each with a director, and four guilds with assigned leaders. However, this led to second-order effects such as a weak leadership team, a bottleneck with team leads, and lack of accountability. To resolve these issues, the leader invested in developing the leadership team, defined roles and responsibilities, and implemented trust but verify.

Stepping into the Role of Tech Holder

Doctolib has implemented the role of a "tech holder" to help address issues with developers not understanding why they are working on a feature and lack of personal responsibility within the project. The tech holder works closely with the product owner from kick-off to delivery, prepares and scopes the project, and uses tools such as a tech holder checklist, design document, and project timeline. The tech holder is not the sole developer on the project, nor an engineering manager, and is responsible for making sure the checklist is used wisely. This approach has been successful in empowering developers and helping them understand the user's needs.

Creating a Full-Bodied Manager Career Trajectory

This article outlines the steps taken to set up a management system for a growing company with two different career paths for engineers: software engineer and engineering manager. Actions taken included creating a presentation and spreadsheet with detailed information, and a quarterly review process with a level up ceremony. The lesson learned was that it is important to make the career paths clear early on and to make the spreadsheet part of the employees' DNA. Additionally, tech leads should not be put in the manager role as they need a manager themselves.

Make Time for Personal Growth of Your Employees

This article discusses the challenge of balancing company OKRs and employee career goals. The solution was to include career documents and discussions into actionable items, and to apply the concept of fixed velocity or fixed story points. This approach is a blend between the agile and waterfall approaches, with personal development being part of the structured plan. The lesson learned is that it is important to integrate the personal development plan into the work plan and find a balance between the "actual" work and work that enhances the skills of employees.

How to Use Career Grids to Formalize Career Paths

This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

Reinstating Revenue Growth After a Long and Steady Period of Decline

The general manager of an operator company was tasked with stimulating growth in the business. After traveling to the 200+ shops and listening to customer calls, the manager realized the employees were not convinced by the service they were selling. To address this, the manager sped up the development of a new set-top box and invested in an advertising campaign and internal communication program. As a result, sales went up and the company was able to organize an IPO the following year. The lesson learned was to take time to understand the situation and leverage external and internal communication to increase employee pride and wellness.

An Efficient Merger Through Communal Delegation

After investing in the acquisition of five cable operator companies in France, the COO was tasked with reorganizing the companies. To do this, he created a compact management team and merged the information systems. After 6 months, the results were good and the team was able to build an operational way to maintain the business of five companies into one single system. The lesson learned was that even when undergoing a big change, it is important to monitor customer quality and relationships.

How Corporations Can Work With and Find Value in Startups

When engaging with a startup, corporations evaluate if the startup's idea is core to what they do and then pursue one of three paths depending on what is best for the organization. These paths include acquiring the startup, pushing it towards partners, or aiding and working with them to scale up. The most successful path is usually the partner play, as it can generate the highest return for all parties involved. It is important to consider the long-term viewpoint when making decisions, as short-term decisions can create gaps in the market that can be exploited by competitors.

Disrupting in Order to Scale Out

This article discusses the process of disruption, which is the process of reducing the complexity of a product to the bare minimum so it can achieve a much higher scale. The author explains the steps taken to achieve this, such as segregating themselves from the traditional parts of the organization and finding allies who saw the value in the disruption. The author also shares lessons learned, such as the importance of finding allies and the need to take larger incremental steps to achieve the desired result.

Realizing You Know Nothing About Management and Then Overcoming It

The author, a first-time founder, was overwhelmed with the management responsibilities of running a company. After attending a management summit, the author found a professional management coach in Johnathan, who provided actionable advice and helped the author learn the skills needed to be a successful manager. The author learned that managing a team of two or three people is different than managing a larger team, and that being a good manager requires experience and education, not innate knowledge.

Building Your Initial Engineering Team

The author joined an early stage startup as the first engineer and had to build out the initial engineering team. To do this, they discussed the mission and vision of the company with the CEO and built a high-level architecture of the platform. They then determined the technical and cultural profiles they wanted for the team, and devised a hiring process that put emphasis on the cultural aspect. This process enabled them to create a great initial engineering team, which was essential for launching the startup.

Aligning An Individual’s Goals with Company Objectives

This article discusses the problem of a team running fast but needing maturation, resulting in pain points, technical spikes, and tech debt. To improve prioritization and productivity, OKRs were established to ladder up to the business focus and career ladders were determined for each individual. The goal was to align individual career success with OKRs and business perspectives. The key lessons learned were the importance of goal setting, finding alignment between business needs, individual interests, and abilities, and being able to make technical decisions that have an impact on the bigger scope of the business.

Gaining Deeper Knowledge In Order To Grow in Your Career

This article discusses the importance of investing time and resources into areas that are relevant to one's career growth. It suggests that one should contemplate their career trajectory and look to companies they admire for guidance. Additionally, it recommends that one-on-ones and 360 reviews are great opportunities to discuss career objectives and to receive help and guidance from a manager or leader.

Aligning Incentives During a Feature Handoff

When presenting a feature handoff to another group, it is important to come up with a long-term strategy that demonstrates a clear business impact. Present two options to the team in an objective way, such as continuing to work towards their goal or using the proposed feature to increase user growth. Leadership will likely prefer user growth, so it is important to be concrete about where time is being invested and what the outcome will be. Additionally, having a good working relationship with other teams is essential to ensure they feel empowered.

From Software Engineer to Managing The Responsibilities of A Product Team

Shilpi, a product manager at Slack, faced the challenge of aligning cross-functional teams, deciding whether to be first to market or create the most viable product, and knowing when to switch gears and allocate resources towards another feature set. To overcome these challenges, she hired four new engineers, took a collaborative approach, and put her people first. She also asked herself the question, "What would make this product successful?" and focused on building a strong foundation. By doing this, she was able to receive valuable feedback, switch gears on projects, and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.

Goal Alignment and XFN Pilots Work Prioritization

This article discusses the various frameworks for prioritizing work in a team setting. It suggests using an OKR process, cross-functional teams, and buy-in from stakeholders and upper management to create alignment on objectives. It also emphasizes the importance of agreement on goals and urgency in order to ensure successful prioritization and alignment.

Key Components to Running Test-Driven Development - Brief Primer

Test-driven development is a process that can improve the overall quality and speed of release times, but it requires a traceability matrix to document requirements and test cases, as well as a CI/CD system for feedback and execution. These two systems together ensure that the product is running quickly and smoothly.

Delivering Value By Focusing on Outcomes

This article outlines the steps taken to move an organization from a chaotic, activity-driven approach to a more outcome-based perspective. This included setting goals based on business problems, making smarter goals that were measurable, actionable, and attainable, and transitioning to a data-driven decision-making process. The team was also given ownership of issues and outcomes, and the OKR process was made more flexible and gamified. As a result, the team was more focused on getting business outcomes and the organization was able to become more data-driven.

Transforming a Slow and Unhealthy Engineering Org

This article outlines the process of transforming an engineering organization from disparate teams with a lack of process and consistency to one with a unified North Star and KPIs. The author used surveys to assess the teams' maturity levels, created a game plan of initiatives with assigned owners, and set milestones for progress. The author also learned that executive buy-in is important, a psychologically safe environment should be created, teams should be given ownership of the process, wins should be celebrated, and the leader should lead by example.

Restructuring After the Acquisition of New Teams

After an organization acquired another company of similar size, the leader of engineering was overwhelmed with the added responsibility. To address this, the leader implemented a new structure with two clusters, each with a director, and four guilds with assigned leaders. However, this led to second-order effects such as a weak leadership team, a bottleneck with team leads, and lack of accountability. To resolve these issues, the leader invested in developing the leadership team, defined roles and responsibilities, and implemented trust but verify.

Stepping into the Role of Tech Holder

Doctolib has implemented the role of a "tech holder" to help address issues with developers not understanding why they are working on a feature and lack of personal responsibility within the project. The tech holder works closely with the product owner from kick-off to delivery, prepares and scopes the project, and uses tools such as a tech holder checklist, design document, and project timeline. The tech holder is not the sole developer on the project, nor an engineering manager, and is responsible for making sure the checklist is used wisely. This approach has been successful in empowering developers and helping them understand the user's needs.

Creating a Full-Bodied Manager Career Trajectory

This article outlines the steps taken to set up a management system for a growing company with two different career paths for engineers: software engineer and engineering manager. Actions taken included creating a presentation and spreadsheet with detailed information, and a quarterly review process with a level up ceremony. The lesson learned was that it is important to make the career paths clear early on and to make the spreadsheet part of the employees' DNA. Additionally, tech leads should not be put in the manager role as they need a manager themselves.

Make Time for Personal Growth of Your Employees

This article discusses the challenge of balancing company OKRs and employee career goals. The solution was to include career documents and discussions into actionable items, and to apply the concept of fixed velocity or fixed story points. This approach is a blend between the agile and waterfall approaches, with personal development being part of the structured plan. The lesson learned is that it is important to integrate the personal development plan into the work plan and find a balance between the "actual" work and work that enhances the skills of employees.

How to Use Career Grids to Formalize Career Paths

This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

Reinstating Revenue Growth After a Long and Steady Period of Decline

The general manager of an operator company was tasked with stimulating growth in the business. After traveling to the 200+ shops and listening to customer calls, the manager realized the employees were not convinced by the service they were selling. To address this, the manager sped up the development of a new set-top box and invested in an advertising campaign and internal communication program. As a result, sales went up and the company was able to organize an IPO the following year. The lesson learned was to take time to understand the situation and leverage external and internal communication to increase employee pride and wellness.

An Efficient Merger Through Communal Delegation

After investing in the acquisition of five cable operator companies in France, the COO was tasked with reorganizing the companies. To do this, he created a compact management team and merged the information systems. After 6 months, the results were good and the team was able to build an operational way to maintain the business of five companies into one single system. The lesson learned was that even when undergoing a big change, it is important to monitor customer quality and relationships.

How Corporations Can Work With and Find Value in Startups

When engaging with a startup, corporations evaluate if the startup's idea is core to what they do and then pursue one of three paths depending on what is best for the organization. These paths include acquiring the startup, pushing it towards partners, or aiding and working with them to scale up. The most successful path is usually the partner play, as it can generate the highest return for all parties involved. It is important to consider the long-term viewpoint when making decisions, as short-term decisions can create gaps in the market that can be exploited by competitors.

Disrupting in Order to Scale Out

This article discusses the process of disruption, which is the process of reducing the complexity of a product to the bare minimum so it can achieve a much higher scale. The author explains the steps taken to achieve this, such as segregating themselves from the traditional parts of the organization and finding allies who saw the value in the disruption. The author also shares lessons learned, such as the importance of finding allies and the need to take larger incremental steps to achieve the desired result.

Realizing You Know Nothing About Management and Then Overcoming It

The author, a first-time founder, was overwhelmed with the management responsibilities of running a company. After attending a management summit, the author found a professional management coach in Johnathan, who provided actionable advice and helped the author learn the skills needed to be a successful manager. The author learned that managing a team of two or three people is different than managing a larger team, and that being a good manager requires experience and education, not innate knowledge.

Building Your Initial Engineering Team

The author joined an early stage startup as the first engineer and had to build out the initial engineering team. To do this, they discussed the mission and vision of the company with the CEO and built a high-level architecture of the platform. They then determined the technical and cultural profiles they wanted for the team, and devised a hiring process that put emphasis on the cultural aspect. This process enabled them to create a great initial engineering team, which was essential for launching the startup.

Aligning An Individual’s Goals with Company Objectives

This article discusses the problem of a team running fast but needing maturation, resulting in pain points, technical spikes, and tech debt. To improve prioritization and productivity, OKRs were established to ladder up to the business focus and career ladders were determined for each individual. The goal was to align individual career success with OKRs and business perspectives. The key lessons learned were the importance of goal setting, finding alignment between business needs, individual interests, and abilities, and being able to make technical decisions that have an impact on the bigger scope of the business.

Gaining Deeper Knowledge In Order To Grow in Your Career

This article discusses the importance of investing time and resources into areas that are relevant to one's career growth. It suggests that one should contemplate their career trajectory and look to companies they admire for guidance. Additionally, it recommends that one-on-ones and 360 reviews are great opportunities to discuss career objectives and to receive help and guidance from a manager or leader.

Aligning Incentives During a Feature Handoff

When presenting a feature handoff to another group, it is important to come up with a long-term strategy that demonstrates a clear business impact. Present two options to the team in an objective way, such as continuing to work towards their goal or using the proposed feature to increase user growth. Leadership will likely prefer user growth, so it is important to be concrete about where time is being invested and what the outcome will be. Additionally, having a good working relationship with other teams is essential to ensure they feel empowered.

From Software Engineer to Managing The Responsibilities of A Product Team

Shilpi, a product manager at Slack, faced the challenge of aligning cross-functional teams, deciding whether to be first to market or create the most viable product, and knowing when to switch gears and allocate resources towards another feature set. To overcome these challenges, she hired four new engineers, took a collaborative approach, and put her people first. She also asked herself the question, "What would make this product successful?" and focused on building a strong foundation. By doing this, she was able to receive valuable feedback, switch gears on projects, and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.

Goal Alignment and XFN Pilots Work Prioritization

This article discusses the various frameworks for prioritizing work in a team setting. It suggests using an OKR process, cross-functional teams, and buy-in from stakeholders and upper management to create alignment on objectives. It also emphasizes the importance of agreement on goals and urgency in order to ensure successful prioritization and alignment.

Key Components to Running Test-Driven Development - Brief Primer

Test-driven development is a process that can improve the overall quality and speed of release times, but it requires a traceability matrix to document requirements and test cases, as well as a CI/CD system for feedback and execution. These two systems together ensure that the product is running quickly and smoothly.

Delivering Value By Focusing on Outcomes

This article outlines the steps taken to move an organization from a chaotic, activity-driven approach to a more outcome-based perspective. This included setting goals based on business problems, making smarter goals that were measurable, actionable, and attainable, and transitioning to a data-driven decision-making process. The team was also given ownership of issues and outcomes, and the OKR process was made more flexible and gamified. As a result, the team was more focused on getting business outcomes and the organization was able to become more data-driven.

Transforming a Slow and Unhealthy Engineering Org

This article outlines the process of transforming an engineering organization from disparate teams with a lack of process and consistency to one with a unified North Star and KPIs. The author used surveys to assess the teams' maturity levels, created a game plan of initiatives with assigned owners, and set milestones for progress. The author also learned that executive buy-in is important, a psychologically safe environment should be created, teams should be given ownership of the process, wins should be celebrated, and the leader should lead by example.

Restructuring After the Acquisition of New Teams

After an organization acquired another company of similar size, the leader of engineering was overwhelmed with the added responsibility. To address this, the leader implemented a new structure with two clusters, each with a director, and four guilds with assigned leaders. However, this led to second-order effects such as a weak leadership team, a bottleneck with team leads, and lack of accountability. To resolve these issues, the leader invested in developing the leadership team, defined roles and responsibilities, and implemented trust but verify.

Stepping into the Role of Tech Holder

Doctolib has implemented the role of a "tech holder" to help address issues with developers not understanding why they are working on a feature and lack of personal responsibility within the project. The tech holder works closely with the product owner from kick-off to delivery, prepares and scopes the project, and uses tools such as a tech holder checklist, design document, and project timeline. The tech holder is not the sole developer on the project, nor an engineering manager, and is responsible for making sure the checklist is used wisely. This approach has been successful in empowering developers and helping them understand the user's needs.

Creating a Full-Bodied Manager Career Trajectory

This article outlines the steps taken to set up a management system for a growing company with two different career paths for engineers: software engineer and engineering manager. Actions taken included creating a presentation and spreadsheet with detailed information, and a quarterly review process with a level up ceremony. The lesson learned was that it is important to make the career paths clear early on and to make the spreadsheet part of the employees' DNA. Additionally, tech leads should not be put in the manager role as they need a manager themselves.

Make Time for Personal Growth of Your Employees

This article discusses the challenge of balancing company OKRs and employee career goals. The solution was to include career documents and discussions into actionable items, and to apply the concept of fixed velocity or fixed story points. This approach is a blend between the agile and waterfall approaches, with personal development being part of the structured plan. The lesson learned is that it is important to integrate the personal development plan into the work plan and find a balance between the "actual" work and work that enhances the skills of employees.

How to Use Career Grids to Formalize Career Paths

This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

Reinstating Revenue Growth After a Long and Steady Period of Decline

The general manager of an operator company was tasked with stimulating growth in the business. After traveling to the 200+ shops and listening to customer calls, the manager realized the employees were not convinced by the service they were selling. To address this, the manager sped up the development of a new set-top box and invested in an advertising campaign and internal communication program. As a result, sales went up and the company was able to organize an IPO the following year. The lesson learned was to take time to understand the situation and leverage external and internal communication to increase employee pride and wellness.

An Efficient Merger Through Communal Delegation

After investing in the acquisition of five cable operator companies in France, the COO was tasked with reorganizing the companies. To do this, he created a compact management team and merged the information systems. After 6 months, the results were good and the team was able to build an operational way to maintain the business of five companies into one single system. The lesson learned was that even when undergoing a big change, it is important to monitor customer quality and relationships.

How Corporations Can Work With and Find Value in Startups

When engaging with a startup, corporations evaluate if the startup's idea is core to what they do and then pursue one of three paths depending on what is best for the organization. These paths include acquiring the startup, pushing it towards partners, or aiding and working with them to scale up. The most successful path is usually the partner play, as it can generate the highest return for all parties involved. It is important to consider the long-term viewpoint when making decisions, as short-term decisions can create gaps in the market that can be exploited by competitors.

Disrupting in Order to Scale Out

This article discusses the process of disruption, which is the process of reducing the complexity of a product to the bare minimum so it can achieve a much higher scale. The author explains the steps taken to achieve this, such as segregating themselves from the traditional parts of the organization and finding allies who saw the value in the disruption. The author also shares lessons learned, such as the importance of finding allies and the need to take larger incremental steps to achieve the desired result.

Realizing You Know Nothing About Management and Then Overcoming It

The author, a first-time founder, was overwhelmed with the management responsibilities of running a company. After attending a management summit, the author found a professional management coach in Johnathan, who provided actionable advice and helped the author learn the skills needed to be a successful manager. The author learned that managing a team of two or three people is different than managing a larger team, and that being a good manager requires experience and education, not innate knowledge.

Building Your Initial Engineering Team

The author joined an early stage startup as the first engineer and had to build out the initial engineering team. To do this, they discussed the mission and vision of the company with the CEO and built a high-level architecture of the platform. They then determined the technical and cultural profiles they wanted for the team, and devised a hiring process that put emphasis on the cultural aspect. This process enabled them to create a great initial engineering team, which was essential for launching the startup.

Aligning An Individual’s Goals with Company Objectives

This article discusses the problem of a team running fast but needing maturation, resulting in pain points, technical spikes, and tech debt. To improve prioritization and productivity, OKRs were established to ladder up to the business focus and career ladders were determined for each individual. The goal was to align individual career success with OKRs and business perspectives. The key lessons learned were the importance of goal setting, finding alignment between business needs, individual interests, and abilities, and being able to make technical decisions that have an impact on the bigger scope of the business.

Gaining Deeper Knowledge In Order To Grow in Your Career

This article discusses the importance of investing time and resources into areas that are relevant to one's career growth. It suggests that one should contemplate their career trajectory and look to companies they admire for guidance. Additionally, it recommends that one-on-ones and 360 reviews are great opportunities to discuss career objectives and to receive help and guidance from a manager or leader.

Aligning Incentives During a Feature Handoff

When presenting a feature handoff to another group, it is important to come up with a long-term strategy that demonstrates a clear business impact. Present two options to the team in an objective way, such as continuing to work towards their goal or using the proposed feature to increase user growth. Leadership will likely prefer user growth, so it is important to be concrete about where time is being invested and what the outcome will be. Additionally, having a good working relationship with other teams is essential to ensure they feel empowered.

From Software Engineer to Managing The Responsibilities of A Product Team

Shilpi, a product manager at Slack, faced the challenge of aligning cross-functional teams, deciding whether to be first to market or create the most viable product, and knowing when to switch gears and allocate resources towards another feature set. To overcome these challenges, she hired four new engineers, took a collaborative approach, and put her people first. She also asked herself the question, "What would make this product successful?" and focused on building a strong foundation. By doing this, she was able to receive valuable feedback, switch gears on projects, and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.

Goal Alignment and XFN Pilots Work Prioritization

This article discusses the various frameworks for prioritizing work in a team setting. It suggests using an OKR process, cross-functional teams, and buy-in from stakeholders and upper management to create alignment on objectives. It also emphasizes the importance of agreement on goals and urgency in order to ensure successful prioritization and alignment.

Key Components to Running Test-Driven Development - Brief Primer

Test-driven development is a process that can improve the overall quality and speed of release times, but it requires a traceability matrix to document requirements and test cases, as well as a CI/CD system for feedback and execution. These two systems together ensure that the product is running quickly and smoothly.

Delivering Value By Focusing on Outcomes

This article outlines the steps taken to move an organization from a chaotic, activity-driven approach to a more outcome-based perspective. This included setting goals based on business problems, making smarter goals that were measurable, actionable, and attainable, and transitioning to a data-driven decision-making process. The team was also given ownership of issues and outcomes, and the OKR process was made more flexible and gamified. As a result, the team was more focused on getting business outcomes and the organization was able to become more data-driven.

Transforming a Slow and Unhealthy Engineering Org

This article outlines the process of transforming an engineering organization from disparate teams with a lack of process and consistency to one with a unified North Star and KPIs. The author used surveys to assess the teams' maturity levels, created a game plan of initiatives with assigned owners, and set milestones for progress. The author also learned that executive buy-in is important, a psychologically safe environment should be created, teams should be given ownership of the process, wins should be celebrated, and the leader should lead by example.

Restructuring After the Acquisition of New Teams

After an organization acquired another company of similar size, the leader of engineering was overwhelmed with the added responsibility. To address this, the leader implemented a new structure with two clusters, each with a director, and four guilds with assigned leaders. However, this led to second-order effects such as a weak leadership team, a bottleneck with team leads, and lack of accountability. To resolve these issues, the leader invested in developing the leadership team, defined roles and responsibilities, and implemented trust but verify.

Stepping into the Role of Tech Holder

Doctolib has implemented the role of a "tech holder" to help address issues with developers not understanding why they are working on a feature and lack of personal responsibility within the project. The tech holder works closely with the product owner from kick-off to delivery, prepares and scopes the project, and uses tools such as a tech holder checklist, design document, and project timeline. The tech holder is not the sole developer on the project, nor an engineering manager, and is responsible for making sure the checklist is used wisely. This approach has been successful in empowering developers and helping them understand the user's needs.

Creating a Full-Bodied Manager Career Trajectory

This article outlines the steps taken to set up a management system for a growing company with two different career paths for engineers: software engineer and engineering manager. Actions taken included creating a presentation and spreadsheet with detailed information, and a quarterly review process with a level up ceremony. The lesson learned was that it is important to make the career paths clear early on and to make the spreadsheet part of the employees' DNA. Additionally, tech leads should not be put in the manager role as they need a manager themselves.

Make Time for Personal Growth of Your Employees

This article discusses the challenge of balancing company OKRs and employee career goals. The solution was to include career documents and discussions into actionable items, and to apply the concept of fixed velocity or fixed story points. This approach is a blend between the agile and waterfall approaches, with personal development being part of the structured plan. The lesson learned is that it is important to integrate the personal development plan into the work plan and find a balance between the "actual" work and work that enhances the skills of employees.

How to Use Career Grids to Formalize Career Paths

This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

Reinstating Revenue Growth After a Long and Steady Period of Decline

The general manager of an operator company was tasked with stimulating growth in the business. After traveling to the 200+ shops and listening to customer calls, the manager realized the employees were not convinced by the service they were selling. To address this, the manager sped up the development of a new set-top box and invested in an advertising campaign and internal communication program. As a result, sales went up and the company was able to organize an IPO the following year. The lesson learned was to take time to understand the situation and leverage external and internal communication to increase employee pride and wellness.

An Efficient Merger Through Communal Delegation

After investing in the acquisition of five cable operator companies in France, the COO was tasked with reorganizing the companies. To do this, he created a compact management team and merged the information systems. After 6 months, the results were good and the team was able to build an operational way to maintain the business of five companies into one single system. The lesson learned was that even when undergoing a big change, it is important to monitor customer quality and relationships.

How Corporations Can Work With and Find Value in Startups

When engaging with a startup, corporations evaluate if the startup's idea is core to what they do and then pursue one of three paths depending on what is best for the organization. These paths include acquiring the startup, pushing it towards partners, or aiding and working with them to scale up. The most successful path is usually the partner play, as it can generate the highest return for all parties involved. It is important to consider the long-term viewpoint when making decisions, as short-term decisions can create gaps in the market that can be exploited by competitors.

Disrupting in Order to Scale Out

This article discusses the process of disruption, which is the process of reducing the complexity of a product to the bare minimum so it can achieve a much higher scale. The author explains the steps taken to achieve this, such as segregating themselves from the traditional parts of the organization and finding allies who saw the value in the disruption. The author also shares lessons learned, such as the importance of finding allies and the need to take larger incremental steps to achieve the desired result.

Realizing You Know Nothing About Management and Then Overcoming It

The author, a first-time founder, was overwhelmed with the management responsibilities of running a company. After attending a management summit, the author found a professional management coach in Johnathan, who provided actionable advice and helped the author learn the skills needed to be a successful manager. The author learned that managing a team of two or three people is different than managing a larger team, and that being a good manager requires experience and education, not innate knowledge.

Building Your Initial Engineering Team

The author joined an early stage startup as the first engineer and had to build out the initial engineering team. To do this, they discussed the mission and vision of the company with the CEO and built a high-level architecture of the platform. They then determined the technical and cultural profiles they wanted for the team, and devised a hiring process that put emphasis on the cultural aspect. This process enabled them to create a great initial engineering team, which was essential for launching the startup.

Aligning An Individual’s Goals with Company Objectives

This article discusses the problem of a team running fast but needing maturation, resulting in pain points, technical spikes, and tech debt. To improve prioritization and productivity, OKRs were established to ladder up to the business focus and career ladders were determined for each individual. The goal was to align individual career success with OKRs and business perspectives. The key lessons learned were the importance of goal setting, finding alignment between business needs, individual interests, and abilities, and being able to make technical decisions that have an impact on the bigger scope of the business.

Gaining Deeper Knowledge In Order To Grow in Your Career

This article discusses the importance of investing time and resources into areas that are relevant to one's career growth. It suggests that one should contemplate their career trajectory and look to companies they admire for guidance. Additionally, it recommends that one-on-ones and 360 reviews are great opportunities to discuss career objectives and to receive help and guidance from a manager or leader.

Aligning Incentives During a Feature Handoff

When presenting a feature handoff to another group, it is important to come up with a long-term strategy that demonstrates a clear business impact. Present two options to the team in an objective way, such as continuing to work towards their goal or using the proposed feature to increase user growth. Leadership will likely prefer user growth, so it is important to be concrete about where time is being invested and what the outcome will be. Additionally, having a good working relationship with other teams is essential to ensure they feel empowered.

From Software Engineer to Managing The Responsibilities of A Product Team

Shilpi, a product manager at Slack, faced the challenge of aligning cross-functional teams, deciding whether to be first to market or create the most viable product, and knowing when to switch gears and allocate resources towards another feature set. To overcome these challenges, she hired four new engineers, took a collaborative approach, and put her people first. She also asked herself the question, "What would make this product successful?" and focused on building a strong foundation. By doing this, she was able to receive valuable feedback, switch gears on projects, and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.

Goal Alignment and XFN Pilots Work Prioritization

This article discusses the various frameworks for prioritizing work in a team setting. It suggests using an OKR process, cross-functional teams, and buy-in from stakeholders and upper management to create alignment on objectives. It also emphasizes the importance of agreement on goals and urgency in order to ensure successful prioritization and alignment.

Key Components to Running Test-Driven Development - Brief Primer

Test-driven development is a process that can improve the overall quality and speed of release times, but it requires a traceability matrix to document requirements and test cases, as well as a CI/CD system for feedback and execution. These two systems together ensure that the product is running quickly and smoothly.

Delivering Value By Focusing on Outcomes

This article outlines the steps taken to move an organization from a chaotic, activity-driven approach to a more outcome-based perspective. This included setting goals based on business problems, making smarter goals that were measurable, actionable, and attainable, and transitioning to a data-driven decision-making process. The team was also given ownership of issues and outcomes, and the OKR process was made more flexible and gamified. As a result, the team was more focused on getting business outcomes and the organization was able to become more data-driven.

Transforming a Slow and Unhealthy Engineering Org

This article outlines the process of transforming an engineering organization from disparate teams with a lack of process and consistency to one with a unified North Star and KPIs. The author used surveys to assess the teams' maturity levels, created a game plan of initiatives with assigned owners, and set milestones for progress. The author also learned that executive buy-in is important, a psychologically safe environment should be created, teams should be given ownership of the process, wins should be celebrated, and the leader should lead by example.

Restructuring After the Acquisition of New Teams

After an organization acquired another company of similar size, the leader of engineering was overwhelmed with the added responsibility. To address this, the leader implemented a new structure with two clusters, each with a director, and four guilds with assigned leaders. However, this led to second-order effects such as a weak leadership team, a bottleneck with team leads, and lack of accountability. To resolve these issues, the leader invested in developing the leadership team, defined roles and responsibilities, and implemented trust but verify.

Stepping into the Role of Tech Holder

Doctolib has implemented the role of a "tech holder" to help address issues with developers not understanding why they are working on a feature and lack of personal responsibility within the project. The tech holder works closely with the product owner from kick-off to delivery, prepares and scopes the project, and uses tools such as a tech holder checklist, design document, and project timeline. The tech holder is not the sole developer on the project, nor an engineering manager, and is responsible for making sure the checklist is used wisely. This approach has been successful in empowering developers and helping them understand the user's needs.

Creating a Full-Bodied Manager Career Trajectory

This article outlines the steps taken to set up a management system for a growing company with two different career paths for engineers: software engineer and engineering manager. Actions taken included creating a presentation and spreadsheet with detailed information, and a quarterly review process with a level up ceremony. The lesson learned was that it is important to make the career paths clear early on and to make the spreadsheet part of the employees' DNA. Additionally, tech leads should not be put in the manager role as they need a manager themselves.

Make Time for Personal Growth of Your Employees

This article discusses the challenge of balancing company OKRs and employee career goals. The solution was to include career documents and discussions into actionable items, and to apply the concept of fixed velocity or fixed story points. This approach is a blend between the agile and waterfall approaches, with personal development being part of the structured plan. The lesson learned is that it is important to integrate the personal development plan into the work plan and find a balance between the "actual" work and work that enhances the skills of employees.

How to Use Career Grids to Formalize Career Paths

This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

Reinstating Revenue Growth After a Long and Steady Period of Decline

The general manager of an operator company was tasked with stimulating growth in the business. After traveling to the 200+ shops and listening to customer calls, the manager realized the employees were not convinced by the service they were selling. To address this, the manager sped up the development of a new set-top box and invested in an advertising campaign and internal communication program. As a result, sales went up and the company was able to organize an IPO the following year. The lesson learned was to take time to understand the situation and leverage external and internal communication to increase employee pride and wellness.

An Efficient Merger Through Communal Delegation

After investing in the acquisition of five cable operator companies in France, the COO was tasked with reorganizing the companies. To do this, he created a compact management team and merged the information systems. After 6 months, the results were good and the team was able to build an operational way to maintain the business of five companies into one single system. The lesson learned was that even when undergoing a big change, it is important to monitor customer quality and relationships.

How Corporations Can Work With and Find Value in Startups

When engaging with a startup, corporations evaluate if the startup's idea is core to what they do and then pursue one of three paths depending on what is best for the organization. These paths include acquiring the startup, pushing it towards partners, or aiding and working with them to scale up. The most successful path is usually the partner play, as it can generate the highest return for all parties involved. It is important to consider the long-term viewpoint when making decisions, as short-term decisions can create gaps in the market that can be exploited by competitors.

Disrupting in Order to Scale Out

This article discusses the process of disruption, which is the process of reducing the complexity of a product to the bare minimum so it can achieve a much higher scale. The author explains the steps taken to achieve this, such as segregating themselves from the traditional parts of the organization and finding allies who saw the value in the disruption. The author also shares lessons learned, such as the importance of finding allies and the need to take larger incremental steps to achieve the desired result.

Realizing You Know Nothing About Management and Then Overcoming It

The author, a first-time founder, was overwhelmed with the management responsibilities of running a company. After attending a management summit, the author found a professional management coach in Johnathan, who provided actionable advice and helped the author learn the skills needed to be a successful manager. The author learned that managing a team of two or three people is different than managing a larger team, and that being a good manager requires experience and education, not innate knowledge.

Building Your Initial Engineering Team

The author joined an early stage startup as the first engineer and had to build out the initial engineering team. To do this, they discussed the mission and vision of the company with the CEO and built a high-level architecture of the platform. They then determined the technical and cultural profiles they wanted for the team, and devised a hiring process that put emphasis on the cultural aspect. This process enabled them to create a great initial engineering team, which was essential for launching the startup.

Aligning An Individual’s Goals with Company Objectives

This article discusses the problem of a team running fast but needing maturation, resulting in pain points, technical spikes, and tech debt. To improve prioritization and productivity, OKRs were established to ladder up to the business focus and career ladders were determined for each individual. The goal was to align individual career success with OKRs and business perspectives. The key lessons learned were the importance of goal setting, finding alignment between business needs, individual interests, and abilities, and being able to make technical decisions that have an impact on the bigger scope of the business.

Gaining Deeper Knowledge In Order To Grow in Your Career

This article discusses the importance of investing time and resources into areas that are relevant to one's career growth. It suggests that one should contemplate their career trajectory and look to companies they admire for guidance. Additionally, it recommends that one-on-ones and 360 reviews are great opportunities to discuss career objectives and to receive help and guidance from a manager or leader.

Aligning Incentives During a Feature Handoff

When presenting a feature handoff to another group, it is important to come up with a long-term strategy that demonstrates a clear business impact. Present two options to the team in an objective way, such as continuing to work towards their goal or using the proposed feature to increase user growth. Leadership will likely prefer user growth, so it is important to be concrete about where time is being invested and what the outcome will be. Additionally, having a good working relationship with other teams is essential to ensure they feel empowered.

From Software Engineer to Managing The Responsibilities of A Product Team

Shilpi, a product manager at Slack, faced the challenge of aligning cross-functional teams, deciding whether to be first to market or create the most viable product, and knowing when to switch gears and allocate resources towards another feature set. To overcome these challenges, she hired four new engineers, took a collaborative approach, and put her people first. She also asked herself the question, "What would make this product successful?" and focused on building a strong foundation. By doing this, she was able to receive valuable feedback, switch gears on projects, and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Building A Product from the ground up for Microsoft Requires Grit

C.H. Robinson was tasked with creating a visibility tool for Microsoft, a challenge due to the lack of business acumen and IP from the Digital Startup Solution they had purchased. Brett and his team spent a week onsite with Microsoft to understand the visibility potential, and created an MVP in three months. With a team of 22, they are now launching the product a second time with Microsoft as a partner. Brett emphasizes the importance of expectation management, selling capabilities and aspirations, and recognizing that success requires hard work and dedication.

Goal Alignment and XFN Pilots Work Prioritization

This article discusses the various frameworks for prioritizing work in a team setting. It suggests using an OKR process, cross-functional teams, and buy-in from stakeholders and upper management to create alignment on objectives. It also emphasizes the importance of agreement on goals and urgency in order to ensure successful prioritization and alignment.

Key Components to Running Test-Driven Development - Brief Primer

Test-driven development is a process that can improve the overall quality and speed of release times, but it requires a traceability matrix to document requirements and test cases, as well as a CI/CD system for feedback and execution. These two systems together ensure that the product is running quickly and smoothly.

Delivering Value By Focusing on Outcomes

This article outlines the steps taken to move an organization from a chaotic, activity-driven approach to a more outcome-based perspective. This included setting goals based on business problems, making smarter goals that were measurable, actionable, and attainable, and transitioning to a data-driven decision-making process. The team was also given ownership of issues and outcomes, and the OKR process was made more flexible and gamified. As a result, the team was more focused on getting business outcomes and the organization was able to become more data-driven.

Transforming a Slow and Unhealthy Engineering Org

This article outlines the process of transforming an engineering organization from disparate teams with a lack of process and consistency to one with a unified North Star and KPIs. The author used surveys to assess the teams' maturity levels, created a game plan of initiatives with assigned owners, and set milestones for progress. The author also learned that executive buy-in is important, a psychologically safe environment should be created, teams should be given ownership of the process, wins should be celebrated, and the leader should lead by example.

Restructuring After the Acquisition of New Teams

After an organization acquired another company of similar size, the leader of engineering was overwhelmed with the added responsibility. To address this, the leader implemented a new structure with two clusters, each with a director, and four guilds with assigned leaders. However, this led to second-order effects such as a weak leadership team, a bottleneck with team leads, and lack of accountability. To resolve these issues, the leader invested in developing the leadership team, defined roles and responsibilities, and implemented trust but verify.

Stepping into the Role of Tech Holder

Doctolib has implemented the role of a "tech holder" to help address issues with developers not understanding why they are working on a feature and lack of personal responsibility within the project. The tech holder works closely with the product owner from kick-off to delivery, prepares and scopes the project, and uses tools such as a tech holder checklist, design document, and project timeline. The tech holder is not the sole developer on the project, nor an engineering manager, and is responsible for making sure the checklist is used wisely. This approach has been successful in empowering developers and helping them understand the user's needs.

Creating a Full-Bodied Manager Career Trajectory

This article outlines the steps taken to set up a management system for a growing company with two different career paths for engineers: software engineer and engineering manager. Actions taken included creating a presentation and spreadsheet with detailed information, and a quarterly review process with a level up ceremony. The lesson learned was that it is important to make the career paths clear early on and to make the spreadsheet part of the employees' DNA. Additionally, tech leads should not be put in the manager role as they need a manager themselves.

Make Time for Personal Growth of Your Employees

This article discusses the challenge of balancing company OKRs and employee career goals. The solution was to include career documents and discussions into actionable items, and to apply the concept of fixed velocity or fixed story points. This approach is a blend between the agile and waterfall approaches, with personal development being part of the structured plan. The lesson learned is that it is important to integrate the personal development plan into the work plan and find a balance between the "actual" work and work that enhances the skills of employees.

How to Use Career Grids to Formalize Career Paths

This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

Reinstating Revenue Growth After a Long and Steady Period of Decline

The general manager of an operator company was tasked with stimulating growth in the business. After traveling to the 200+ shops and listening to customer calls, the manager realized the employees were not convinced by the service they were selling. To address this, the manager sped up the development of a new set-top box and invested in an advertising campaign and internal communication program. As a result, sales went up and the company was able to organize an IPO the following year. The lesson learned was to take time to understand the situation and leverage external and internal communication to increase employee pride and wellness.

An Efficient Merger Through Communal Delegation

After investing in the acquisition of five cable operator companies in France, the COO was tasked with reorganizing the companies. To do this, he created a compact management team and merged the information systems. After 6 months, the results were good and the team was able to build an operational way to maintain the business of five companies into one single system. The lesson learned was that even when undergoing a big change, it is important to monitor customer quality and relationships.

How Corporations Can Work With and Find Value in Startups

When engaging with a startup, corporations evaluate if the startup's idea is core to what they do and then pursue one of three paths depending on what is best for the organization. These paths include acquiring the startup, pushing it towards partners, or aiding and working with them to scale up. The most successful path is usually the partner play, as it can generate the highest return for all parties involved. It is important to consider the long-term viewpoint when making decisions, as short-term decisions can create gaps in the market that can be exploited by competitors.

Disrupting in Order to Scale Out

This article discusses the process of disruption, which is the process of reducing the complexity of a product to the bare minimum so it can achieve a much higher scale. The author explains the steps taken to achieve this, such as segregating themselves from the traditional parts of the organization and finding allies who saw the value in the disruption. The author also shares lessons learned, such as the importance of finding allies and the need to take larger incremental steps to achieve the desired result.

Realizing You Know Nothing About Management and Then Overcoming It

The author, a first-time founder, was overwhelmed with the management responsibilities of running a company. After attending a management summit, the author found a professional management coach in Johnathan, who provided actionable advice and helped the author learn the skills needed to be a successful manager. The author learned that managing a team of two or three people is different than managing a larger team, and that being a good manager requires experience and education, not innate knowledge.

Building Your Initial Engineering Team

The author joined an early stage startup as the first engineer and had to build out the initial engineering team. To do this, they discussed the mission and vision of the company with the CEO and built a high-level architecture of the platform. They then determined the technical and cultural profiles they wanted for the team, and devised a hiring process that put emphasis on the cultural aspect. This process enabled them to create a great initial engineering team, which was essential for launching the startup.

Aligning An Individual’s Goals with Company Objectives

This article discusses the problem of a team running fast but needing maturation, resulting in pain points, technical spikes, and tech debt. To improve prioritization and productivity, OKRs were established to ladder up to the business focus and career ladders were determined for each individual. The goal was to align individual career success with OKRs and business perspectives. The key lessons learned were the importance of goal setting, finding alignment between business needs, individual interests, and abilities, and being able to make technical decisions that have an impact on the bigger scope of the business.

Gaining Deeper Knowledge In Order To Grow in Your Career

This article discusses the importance of investing time and resources into areas that are relevant to one's career growth. It suggests that one should contemplate their career trajectory and look to companies they admire for guidance. Additionally, it recommends that one-on-ones and 360 reviews are great opportunities to discuss career objectives and to receive help and guidance from a manager or leader.