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Tech Team Growth Checklist

Operational manual for the people side of engineering.

Framework: Tech Team Growth Checklist

  • Description: This is your operational manual for the people side of engineering. It covers the full lifecycle from sourcing talent to high-level leadership development, ensuring you aren't just hiring heads, but building a sustainable engineering culture.
  • Origin & Attribution: This synthesises several industry standards, notably Camille Fournier's leadership levels from The Manager's Path and Will Larson's work on the Staff Engineer track.
  • Context & Heritage: This evolved from the transition in tech from the "hero programmer" model to "high-performing teams." It draws heavily on the Radical Candor approach to feedback and the Spotify Model of autonomous squads.

The Framework

  • Hiring (The Entry): Move beyond the "whiteboard" interview. Use a consistent scorecard based on your CTO Manifesto. Focus on "signal" (can they code?) and "values alignment" (will they help the team?).
  • Mentoring (The Integration): Every new hire gets a "buddy" for the first 30 days. For juniors, implement a structured pairing schedule. For seniors, focus on "context sharing"—teaching them the business domain, not just the repo.
  • Performance & Promotion (The Ladder): Define a clear Engineering Career Ladder. People need to know exactly what is required to move from Mid-level to Senior, or Senior to Staff, without it being a popularity contest.
  • Management (The Guardrails): Implement a 1:1 cadence that isn't just a status update. Use this time for "career coaching" and identifying burnout before it happens. Use 9-Box Grids for talent reviews.

Metrics & Success Indicators

  • Quantitative Metrics:
    • eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score): How likely your engineers are to recommend the company to a friend.
    • Retention Rate: Average tenure of your top-tier engineers.
    • Hiring Velocity: Time from "Job Req Open" to "Offer Accepted."
  • Qualitative Success Indicators:
    • Internal Fill Rate: Percentage of leadership roles filled by promoting existing team members.
    • Psychological Safety: Team members feel comfortable admitting mistakes in post-mortems without fear of blame.

Prerequisites & Dependencies

  • Standardised Levels: You cannot promote fairly if you haven't defined what "Senior" means in your specific organisation.
  • Budget for Growth: Access to a dedicated training and conference budget to show you are invested in their long-term value.

Customisation (How to Fork)

  • For Startups: Focus on "Hiring" and "Culture." You don't need a 10-level career ladder when you only have 5 people.
  • For Scale-ups: Prioritise "Management" and "Promotion." This is where teams break because people feel stuck in their roles.

The Translation Layer (Communication)

  • To the Board: I am building a talent engine that reduces our reliance on expensive external headhunters and increases our operational stability.
  • To the Engineers: I am giving you a transparent path to grow your career and your salary based on clear, objective impact.

Similar Frameworks & Tools

Recommended Reading

  • The Manager's Path (Camille Fournier): The definitive guide for growing technical teams.
  • Staff Engineer (Will Larson): Essential for building the "Individual Contributor" track.

Summary (TL;DR)

Great tech is built by great teams, not just great individuals. Use this checklist to ensure you are hiring for values, promoting on merit, and mentoring for the future of the company.

Action Plan

  1. Immediate Step: Review your current interview process. Does it actually predict success in the job, or is it just a "brain teaser"?
  2. Information Gathering: Survey your team on their "career goals" for the next 12 months to see where the gaps are.
  3. Core Focus: Be consistent. The fastest way to kill morale is to promote someone based on a "gut feeling" rather than the career ladder.