Engineering Ladders - A framework for Engineering Managers

Introduction | Engineering Ladders

This framework allows software engineering managers to have meaningful conversations with their direct reports around the expectations of each position and how to plan for the next level in their career ladder.

The framework relies heavily on radar charts to visually represent the different perspectives and expectations of a given position:

The chart shown above has the following 5 axes:

Technology: knowledge of the tech stack and tools

System: level of ownership of the system(s)

People: relationship with the team(s)

Process: level of engagement with the development process

Influence: scope of influence of the position

The influence axis can be seen as a different dimension since it is orthogonal and applies to all the other axes.