Engineering Team Values

How to read this chart

What each C asks

The ladder

Competent Contributing Compatible Committed + Growth
Level Delivery scope / Depth & blast radius Frogs & prio / Closing loops Debugging & incidents Hiring Multiplier Tools & process AI leverage / aislop Metrics & outcomes Values maturity Communication Awareness / Feedback Sharpening the saw Buy-in & sustainability
Engineering Manager (EM 2) • owns the pod's whole portfolio across zones; balances load across teams and quarters
• real depth in the pod's core zone; understands blast radius at the org level (a bad call here hurts other pods) • keeps track of the frogs across the pod and keeps them delicious; decides who eats which
• no loop left open in the pod; no surprise reaches the org
• the pod plans and ships without drama • debugs the organization
• accountable for the incident process in the portfolio • hiring manager for the team's roles
• participates in recruiting the pod is better • sets stack and process direction across the pod
• dev experience is a first-class outcome, not an afterthought • moves the pod/company on AI intentionally
• AI leverage is a tracked outcome • tracks the company KPIs and how they link to the work
• adjusts the work to move them • sets the cultural bar across the pod
• teaches decision / [D]ecision
• chief relentless optimist of the pod • sets the communication bar across the pod
• translates org context down, carries the pod's signal up • high company awareness
• builds the team's feedback culture; runs 4C across the pod • grows the pod's skill base; plans where the pod's skills need to be next as the tools change • protects the pod's sustainability
• keeps the pace holdable across cycles
Engineering Manager (EM 1) • owns one team's portfolio end to end; keeps several workflows moving in parallel
• real depth in the team's core zone; sees blast radius across the team's systems • keeps track of the team's frogs and keeps them delicious; hands the right frog to the right person
• closes loops across the team; keeps predictability
• the team's planning is boring by default • debugs the teams
• accountable for the incident process in the portfolio hiring manager for the team's roles the team is better • the team's process is a system, not a habit
• owns the team's dev experience • moves the team on AI intentionally
• owns spend vs. leverage • owns the team's numbers
• connects the team's work to company targets • role model for the team; keeps the team to the values
• teaches decision / [D]ecision
• chief relentless optimist of the team communicates down (org → team) and manages up (EM → CTO) • high org awareness
• finds feedback opportunities; runs 4C for the team • grows the team's skill base
• makes learning-with-AI a team habit • committed to the company's success
• protects the team's sustainability
Engineering Lead (EL 2) • owns multiple large workflows at once; sets how they're sequenced
• deep in a zone several people depend on; blast radius spans systems, not one service • eats the largest frogs; takes the ones others can't
• drives loops to closed across a workflow; raises risk early, with a proposal and a date
• boring releases are the team's default • debugs architecture / systems
• runs post-mortems (and follows up) designs / runs the hiring process (technical track)
makes the team better • makes the stack decisions in a zone
• the paved path others use is theirs • sets the AI bar in a zone
• accountable spend vs. leverage • owns the zone's numbers
• moves them on purpose toward the company targets • the values hold in the zone because of them
• drives the hard [D]ecisions others avoid • aligns across zones
• async by default, no surprises • cross-zone awareness
• gives feedback that changes behavior, not just code • grows a skill the zone lacks; brings it back and spreads it
• upgrades how the zone learns with AI takes the bigger frogs without burning out; sustainable pace
Engineering Lead (EL 1) • owns a large workflow end to end
• deep in one zone others rely on; knows where it can break downstream • the frogs get larger; takes on bigger, harder frogs
• closes loops end to end; informs the right people; defaults to action (no objection by date X, proceed)
• boring releases are the norm • debugs architecture / systems
• runs post-mortems (and follows up) • designs / runs the hiring process (technical track)
• executes the technical on-site interview
• good as interview observer makes others better intentionally (can name them)
• implements and maintains internal tools
• owns the dev experience in a zone • call slop as they see them (slop stopper)
• builds and shares tooling others reuse • owns a number; can name the one they're embarrassed by
• ties the zone's work to company targets identifies [D]ecisions in own zone and resolves them with the team • communicates sideways (team → team)
• brings the "so what", not the raw detail • cross-system / cross-team awareness
• gives good technical feedback • grows/builds a skill the team lacks
• brings new needed AI practice into the team, roll it out bought into where the company is going, not just the craft
Engineer L2 • delivers large features; several in parallel (discovery + delivery)
• knows the system behind the feature, not just the feature • eats the frog; does the most important thing first
• closes loops without being chased; keeps the right people informed; defaults to action
• boring releases • debugs the feature across zones
• leads incidents even on unfamiliar ground • conducts coding interviews
• improves challenges improves the people around them • improves tools and process
• smooths dev experience for own work
• proposes stack changes • strong AI setup
• accountable for token spends • knows the number their work moves
• sees how it ladders to a company target • lives the values; brings them at the right moment
• makes small [D]ecisions cleanly • makes progress visible
• answers the "so what" before posting • high team awareness
• seeks feedback • sharpens the saw deliberately; picks what to get better at on purpose
• keeps own AI setup current • committed to the outcome, not just the task
• no silent frustration
Engineer L1 • delivers features, owns and maintains them
• understands own component; knows the blast radius of own change • finds and names the frog; eats the small ones
• keeps the queue visible, nothing silently stuck
• drama-free feature-releases • debugs features mostly in one zone
• leads incidents unblocks a peer when asked • uses the stack, tools and process well
• follows the paved path • recognize AI slop
• keeps the judgment-building friction • tracks own feature metrics
• knows the company targets understands the values; can name them • says where they are; meets me where I am
• no AI slop • high self awareness
• receives and acts on feedback • learns what the job needs, fast
• learns with AI, not around it in, and says so when they are not, what makes it difficult to be in