Roles & Titles

Creating and utilizing an engineering career path

A startup realized that their ad-hoc responses to career growth weren't enough and began researching career paths from other companies. After collecting a dozen paths, they created their own with six positions, four qualities per position, and one to three sentences per quality. They received feedback from their most experienced engineers and rolled out the path with a presentation. Lessons learned include understanding the problem, finding a starting point, avoiding "Not Invented Here," training managers and engineers, and working with HR.

Constant collaboration between Product Management & Engineering

This article discusses a problem faced by one company where Product Management and Engineering were in constant conflict due to misalignment of deliverables. The author, a Director of Engineering, implemented rules of engagement, chunking down and chunking up models, and invited Product Managers to Engineering meetings to help resolve disagreements. The article also highlights the importance of building trust between Project Management and Engineering to ensure smoother delivery and more effective negotiation.

To Contractor or not to contractor? Pros and cons of putting off full time hiring.

Rogue Rocket was founded in 2011 with the goal of staying lean and hiring staff on a project-needs basis. They used contractors to fill positions and minimize cash flow risk, and eventually made a few full-time hires. The strategy was to create great products and maximize quality and creativity, but this may not be a wise choice in the current business environment due to the shortage of skilled technical personnel. Companies must decide on the best strategy for their needs.

Prioritizing with the Aid of Tools

In 2014, the first feature team at an organization faced many issues while establishing a proof-of-concept. To manage prioritization and dependencies, the team used tools such as Rice, Jira, and Slack. However, it is important to remember not to be too reliant on the tools, as they can sometimes steer you in the wrong direction.

Creating a Useful Product Vision

A product vision is an important part of a company strategy that serves as a North Star for the product organization, motivating them to create a compelling product that solves customer problems. It should not be confused with the company mission or product roadmap. It is important to create a product vision when teams need to be aligned in a common direction. It is worth the investment to create a product vision that is short and straightforward, and everyone should understand the purpose behind it.

Being a Data Coach

After taking a vacation to reflect on his career, the author decided to become a freelance coach in the data space. He has since been successful in his role, and has learned that freelancing allows him to choose what he works on and when, and that he must be visible and part of the team he is coaching in order to demonstrate his value. He also advises to just do it and not be overwhelmed by self-doubt.