The Engineering Manager’s Playbook 📘
50 Practical Tools to Lead with Confidence and Deliver Outstanding Results
Hey there, and welcome to the journey of The Engineering Manager’s Playbook! This book is a dream I’ve been carrying with me, and it’s finally taking shape, page by page, one tool at a time.
Why This Book?
After years of navigating engineering management roles in different companies, I know firsthand how tough (and rewarding!) this role can be. Figuring out how to hire the right people, creating an inclusive environment, managing underperforming team members, tackling the day-to-day challenges, working with difficult stakeholders, and the list goes on and on – there’s a lot to juggle. That’s why I wanted to create a resource that doesn’t just give high-level advice but offers real, practical tools you can use immediately, every week.
Each week, I'll be releasing a chapter focused on one of the tools from the Playbook. The goal is for each of these tools to become your go-to for common things that EMs do (and sometimes struggle with).
Chapters will be accessible to paid subscribers. And when I hit “publish” on the final chapter, The Engineering Manager’s Playbook will be ready for the world, with every one of you as a part of its story.
Sneak Peek
I’ve been working on how the cover could look so I can see with my eyes what I am working towards, and I’d love to share a sneak peek here, just for you. I’m excited to have you alongside me as I bring The Engineering Manager’s Playbook to life. Your support in subscribing not only helps make this dream a reality but also gives you exclusive access to every tool the moment it’s released.
What will be Inside?
Here's a peek at the Contents:
Hiring
1. Job Ad
Onboarding & Offboarding
5. 30/60/90 Days Plan
6. Buddy Program
7. Onboarding Feedback
8. Offboarding Checklist (Resignation)
Team Management
9. 1:1 Meeting
10. Performance Review
11. SMART Goals
12. Individual Development Plan (IDP)
13. 360 & SBI Feedback
14. Team Health Check Survey
15. Team Knowledge Matrix
16. GROW Coaching Model
17. Promotion Case
18. Monthly Career 1:1
19. Underperformers Action Plan
20. Tech Lead vs. EM Role Comparison Guide
21. Career Ladder Progression
22. Conflict Resolution Framework
Strategic Planning
23. Mission & Vision (Team Charter)
24. Quarterly Objectives
25. OKR Planning
26. Roadmap Planning
Project Management
27. Project Kickoff
28. Stakeholder Analysis
29. Project Communication Plan
30. RACI Matrix (Roles)
31. Change Request Form
32. Lessons Learned Retrospective
33. Risk Management Plan
34. Weekly Status Update
35. Monthly Team Progress Update
36. Executive Summary Report
Product & Process Management
37. MoSCoW Prioritization (Evaluate Projects)
38. RICE Scoring (Prioritize Projects)
39. Eisenhower Matrix (Prioritize Tasks)
40. Definition of Ready
41. Incident Management Process
42. Incident Report
43. Incident Post-Mortem
44. On-Call Support
Agile
45. Scrum vs. Kanban
46. Daily Standup
47. Backlog Refinement
48. Sprint Planning
49. Sprint Review
50. Sprint Retrospective