Knowledge shared by our community

The Approach of Not Stopping for a Massive Rewrite

This article outlines the steps taken by a company to keep innovating and upgrading their product over the past 14 years. They started off with a basic appointment screen built in Delphi and on-premise, and then moved to the cloud with Memento 7. They also had two big overhauls of Memento 7, a look and feel facelift and an infrastructure overhaul. They are now working on Phorest Web, which is built with Ember.js and has an embedded web browser. The article also discusses the common problems with scaling product and the approach taken to avoid having to build a Phorest Web 2 in a few years.

Using a Compelling Narrative to Influence Leaders and Investors

This article discusses the importance of presenting a clear and compelling narrative when attempting to influence senior product leadership, angel investors, and VCs. The author shares their experience of not presenting a clear narrative when discussing the Facebook photos strategy to Mark Zuckerberg and the lessons they learned from it. They also provide a template of an 8 slide presentation that they have found to be successful in influencing strategic thinkers. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the root assumptions and creating a narrative that is aligned with the needs of the organization in order to be successful in influencing leadership teams.

A Thorough Methodology for Administering Consistent Interviews

This article discusses the challenges of the hiring pipeline and how to have consistent interviews and a solid interview process. The author has implemented methods to ensure a positive experience for the candidate, such as having a junior and senior interviewer in each interview and coaching and training interviewers to maintain a positive tone. The interview process is structured to keep it consistent across candidates, and there is a standardized form to gather information about how well the interview went. The author also recommends having a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't.

Determining What Levels to Hire

When hiring for an organization, it is important to consider the company culture and the type of hire needed. For startups, it is best to hire more senior-level people who can deliver quickly and get up to speed fast. For heritage companies, it is more beneficial to hire junior-level people with the promise of career growth. Senior hires should be strategic and focused, and should be able to lead and fill gaps.

Giving Appropriate Praise and Feedback

This article discusses the importance of providing feedback in the workplace, and the different ways in which it can be delivered. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how an individual responds to feedback, and the need to ask them in private to determine the best way to deliver it. It also highlights the importance of balancing the frequency of feedback to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

Why Your Developers Are Not Delivering On Time

An emerging leader must understand why their developers are not meeting deadlines and take action to help them succeed. This includes initiating a frank conversation with developers, minimizing interruptions, and being clear on priorities. Studies have shown that multitasking slows people down and lowers the quality of work, so it is important to focus on one task at a time. It is also important to question one's own estimates and expectations before blaming the developers.

How to Attract Engineers When Your Company Scales Massively

Companies face a massive challenge when scaling rapidly and needing to hire an additional 100 engineers in a year. Different approaches can be taken, but focusing on quality is essential. Relying on people's networks, creating a catchy pitch, and making managers accountable for hiring are all strategies that have worked. Additionally, taking advantage of other companies' slow hiring process and allowing engineers to move around the company can help to find the right people for the right positions.

The Startup Dilemma: Who Should Be Your First Hires

Early-stage startups face many dilemmas, including who to hire first. It is important to anticipate the company's growth in the next 12 months and plan accordingly. It is recommended to prioritize leadership over management, and to focus on collaboration and teamwork rather than hiring an Engineering Manager (EM) unless there are at least 30 engineers. Senior engineers can be responsible for code reviews and approvals, and the company can dedicate an hour monthly to testing with all business teams. During interviews, focus on chemistry and collaboration.

Being Uncertain About a New Hire

As a first-time manager of an early-stage startup, it is important to make the right decision when hiring a new employee. To do this, it is necessary to determine what has changed and why, and to communicate expectations. It is also important to have a plan B in case the new hire does not work out, and to be aware that personal issues can affect performance. Managers must be wise and find the balance between being empathetic and professional, and be aware that different companies can tolerate different levels of uncertainty.

Growing Pains of Communicating a Product Vision to Your Team

This article provides advice on how to effectively communicate a product vision to a team as a Head of Product. It suggests identifying the communication problem, understanding what drives a product, hiring a technical product manager, explaining features by demonstrating the business value, and understanding the different roles in managing a product.

What is the Ideal Junior to Senior Developer Ratio? And How to Get There?

When building a development team, it is important to consider the ratio of junior, mid-level, and senior developers. A pyramidal structure with three juniors per mid-level and four mid-levels per senior is ideal, but the exact proportion should be adjusted to the company's needs. Mid-level developers are an essential part of a well-balanced team, and juniors should be encouraged to help each other and exchange ideas. Metrics and tracking working hours can help allocate resources more effectively.

Knowing When to Hire in a Startup

In startups, it is important to have a framework in place to know when to hire and for what position. Waiting two months after feeling an extreme pain point in the organization is advised, as the workload may taper off after a push. Additionally, the dynamic of the team changes with every new addition, so the person needs time to adjust and fuse into the role. Common mistakes include hiring for the wrong role, as needs are constantly changing.

Handling the Difficulties of Wearing Many Hats

In small companies and growing startups, it is common for a few people to wear multiple hats due to financial restraints. This can lead to burnout and confusion about roles, as well as a power struggle. To avoid these issues, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and be clear about which hat is being worn when communicating with others. Additionally, it is important to take time to relax and recharge in order to avoid burnout.

Structuring an Engineering Manager Training Program

In order to balance the technical and leadership sides of their management team, the author created an engineering training program from scratch. This included a self-study page on a Wiki, a leadership reading club, access to Plato, and a coaching program. Through this program, the author was able to provide engineering managers with the knowledge of what they are responsible for and the tools and resources to help them learn and grow.

A Detailed Hiring Process

This article outlines the hiring process of a manager, which includes a behavioral screen, technical screen, and on-site interviews. The manager emphasizes the importance of standardizing the process as much as possible, and uses a debriefing to ask questions and clarify why people said Yes or No to a candidate. The manager also does not do consensus hiring, and if a candidate receives all yeses but a No for technical reasons, then they will not be hired.

Defining a Product Strategy Using Foundational Answers

When designing a product roadmap or strategy, it is important to start with the basics and use the First Principle approach. This involves defining the problem that the company is trying to solve and having a well-defined intent. It is also important to keep in mind what you want to do in the future, but not too far ahead. Lessons learned include questioning everything that is being done and understanding the problem that needs to be solved in relation to the company's mission statement.

Techniques for Sourcing and Attracting Great Candidates

This article outlines the techniques used by a hiring manager to source great candidates for positions. These techniques include writing down the mission statement and outlining why it is important, using professional and social media accounts to advertise roles, writing articles for publications, and attending events such as HackerX. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships with potential candidates, even if they are not available to join the company at the time.

Recruiting Strategies for Finding Suitable Engineer Candidates

Recruiting engineers for a company can be challenging, but there are strategies that have proven to be successful. These include using your network, attending meetups, public speaking, integrating technical aspects into your pitch, and upselling other arenas if you are low on cash. All of these strategies involve face-to-face interactions to get people to know you and your organization, and become interested enough to join your team.

How To Rise into a Senior Engineering Leadership Position

This article discusses the changes that come with managing managers, such as delegating more, understanding what makes other leads successful, avoiding micromanaging, and having a long-term vision for your team. It also emphasizes the importance of the 80-20 Pareto law, understanding the difference between what is important and what is urgent, and focusing on the 20 percent of work that will bring the most results.

Principles to Set as a New Manager

As a new manager, it is important to strive for an autonomous team without bottlenecking. To do this, remain operational to fill in gaps, stay empathetic while setting limits, rely on facts, and avoid being the bridge between team members. Investing in understanding and reaching autonomy is difficult, but will pay off in the long run.

The Approach of Not Stopping for a Massive Rewrite

This article outlines the steps taken by a company to keep innovating and upgrading their product over the past 14 years. They started off with a basic appointment screen built in Delphi and on-premise, and then moved to the cloud with Memento 7. They also had two big overhauls of Memento 7, a look and feel facelift and an infrastructure overhaul. They are now working on Phorest Web, which is built with Ember.js and has an embedded web browser. The article also discusses the common problems with scaling product and the approach taken to avoid having to build a Phorest Web 2 in a few years.

Using a Compelling Narrative to Influence Leaders and Investors

This article discusses the importance of presenting a clear and compelling narrative when attempting to influence senior product leadership, angel investors, and VCs. The author shares their experience of not presenting a clear narrative when discussing the Facebook photos strategy to Mark Zuckerberg and the lessons they learned from it. They also provide a template of an 8 slide presentation that they have found to be successful in influencing strategic thinkers. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the root assumptions and creating a narrative that is aligned with the needs of the organization in order to be successful in influencing leadership teams.

A Thorough Methodology for Administering Consistent Interviews

This article discusses the challenges of the hiring pipeline and how to have consistent interviews and a solid interview process. The author has implemented methods to ensure a positive experience for the candidate, such as having a junior and senior interviewer in each interview and coaching and training interviewers to maintain a positive tone. The interview process is structured to keep it consistent across candidates, and there is a standardized form to gather information about how well the interview went. The author also recommends having a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't.

Determining What Levels to Hire

When hiring for an organization, it is important to consider the company culture and the type of hire needed. For startups, it is best to hire more senior-level people who can deliver quickly and get up to speed fast. For heritage companies, it is more beneficial to hire junior-level people with the promise of career growth. Senior hires should be strategic and focused, and should be able to lead and fill gaps.

Giving Appropriate Praise and Feedback

This article discusses the importance of providing feedback in the workplace, and the different ways in which it can be delivered. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how an individual responds to feedback, and the need to ask them in private to determine the best way to deliver it. It also highlights the importance of balancing the frequency of feedback to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

Why Your Developers Are Not Delivering On Time

An emerging leader must understand why their developers are not meeting deadlines and take action to help them succeed. This includes initiating a frank conversation with developers, minimizing interruptions, and being clear on priorities. Studies have shown that multitasking slows people down and lowers the quality of work, so it is important to focus on one task at a time. It is also important to question one's own estimates and expectations before blaming the developers.

How to Attract Engineers When Your Company Scales Massively

Companies face a massive challenge when scaling rapidly and needing to hire an additional 100 engineers in a year. Different approaches can be taken, but focusing on quality is essential. Relying on people's networks, creating a catchy pitch, and making managers accountable for hiring are all strategies that have worked. Additionally, taking advantage of other companies' slow hiring process and allowing engineers to move around the company can help to find the right people for the right positions.

The Startup Dilemma: Who Should Be Your First Hires

Early-stage startups face many dilemmas, including who to hire first. It is important to anticipate the company's growth in the next 12 months and plan accordingly. It is recommended to prioritize leadership over management, and to focus on collaboration and teamwork rather than hiring an Engineering Manager (EM) unless there are at least 30 engineers. Senior engineers can be responsible for code reviews and approvals, and the company can dedicate an hour monthly to testing with all business teams. During interviews, focus on chemistry and collaboration.

Being Uncertain About a New Hire

As a first-time manager of an early-stage startup, it is important to make the right decision when hiring a new employee. To do this, it is necessary to determine what has changed and why, and to communicate expectations. It is also important to have a plan B in case the new hire does not work out, and to be aware that personal issues can affect performance. Managers must be wise and find the balance between being empathetic and professional, and be aware that different companies can tolerate different levels of uncertainty.

Growing Pains of Communicating a Product Vision to Your Team

This article provides advice on how to effectively communicate a product vision to a team as a Head of Product. It suggests identifying the communication problem, understanding what drives a product, hiring a technical product manager, explaining features by demonstrating the business value, and understanding the different roles in managing a product.

What is the Ideal Junior to Senior Developer Ratio? And How to Get There?

When building a development team, it is important to consider the ratio of junior, mid-level, and senior developers. A pyramidal structure with three juniors per mid-level and four mid-levels per senior is ideal, but the exact proportion should be adjusted to the company's needs. Mid-level developers are an essential part of a well-balanced team, and juniors should be encouraged to help each other and exchange ideas. Metrics and tracking working hours can help allocate resources more effectively.

Knowing When to Hire in a Startup

In startups, it is important to have a framework in place to know when to hire and for what position. Waiting two months after feeling an extreme pain point in the organization is advised, as the workload may taper off after a push. Additionally, the dynamic of the team changes with every new addition, so the person needs time to adjust and fuse into the role. Common mistakes include hiring for the wrong role, as needs are constantly changing.

Handling the Difficulties of Wearing Many Hats

In small companies and growing startups, it is common for a few people to wear multiple hats due to financial restraints. This can lead to burnout and confusion about roles, as well as a power struggle. To avoid these issues, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and be clear about which hat is being worn when communicating with others. Additionally, it is important to take time to relax and recharge in order to avoid burnout.

Structuring an Engineering Manager Training Program

In order to balance the technical and leadership sides of their management team, the author created an engineering training program from scratch. This included a self-study page on a Wiki, a leadership reading club, access to Plato, and a coaching program. Through this program, the author was able to provide engineering managers with the knowledge of what they are responsible for and the tools and resources to help them learn and grow.

A Detailed Hiring Process

This article outlines the hiring process of a manager, which includes a behavioral screen, technical screen, and on-site interviews. The manager emphasizes the importance of standardizing the process as much as possible, and uses a debriefing to ask questions and clarify why people said Yes or No to a candidate. The manager also does not do consensus hiring, and if a candidate receives all yeses but a No for technical reasons, then they will not be hired.

Defining a Product Strategy Using Foundational Answers

When designing a product roadmap or strategy, it is important to start with the basics and use the First Principle approach. This involves defining the problem that the company is trying to solve and having a well-defined intent. It is also important to keep in mind what you want to do in the future, but not too far ahead. Lessons learned include questioning everything that is being done and understanding the problem that needs to be solved in relation to the company's mission statement.

Techniques for Sourcing and Attracting Great Candidates

This article outlines the techniques used by a hiring manager to source great candidates for positions. These techniques include writing down the mission statement and outlining why it is important, using professional and social media accounts to advertise roles, writing articles for publications, and attending events such as HackerX. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships with potential candidates, even if they are not available to join the company at the time.

Recruiting Strategies for Finding Suitable Engineer Candidates

Recruiting engineers for a company can be challenging, but there are strategies that have proven to be successful. These include using your network, attending meetups, public speaking, integrating technical aspects into your pitch, and upselling other arenas if you are low on cash. All of these strategies involve face-to-face interactions to get people to know you and your organization, and become interested enough to join your team.

How To Rise into a Senior Engineering Leadership Position

This article discusses the changes that come with managing managers, such as delegating more, understanding what makes other leads successful, avoiding micromanaging, and having a long-term vision for your team. It also emphasizes the importance of the 80-20 Pareto law, understanding the difference between what is important and what is urgent, and focusing on the 20 percent of work that will bring the most results.

Principles to Set as a New Manager

As a new manager, it is important to strive for an autonomous team without bottlenecking. To do this, remain operational to fill in gaps, stay empathetic while setting limits, rely on facts, and avoid being the bridge between team members. Investing in understanding and reaching autonomy is difficult, but will pay off in the long run.

The Approach of Not Stopping for a Massive Rewrite

This article outlines the steps taken by a company to keep innovating and upgrading their product over the past 14 years. They started off with a basic appointment screen built in Delphi and on-premise, and then moved to the cloud with Memento 7. They also had two big overhauls of Memento 7, a look and feel facelift and an infrastructure overhaul. They are now working on Phorest Web, which is built with Ember.js and has an embedded web browser. The article also discusses the common problems with scaling product and the approach taken to avoid having to build a Phorest Web 2 in a few years.

Using a Compelling Narrative to Influence Leaders and Investors

This article discusses the importance of presenting a clear and compelling narrative when attempting to influence senior product leadership, angel investors, and VCs. The author shares their experience of not presenting a clear narrative when discussing the Facebook photos strategy to Mark Zuckerberg and the lessons they learned from it. They also provide a template of an 8 slide presentation that they have found to be successful in influencing strategic thinkers. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the root assumptions and creating a narrative that is aligned with the needs of the organization in order to be successful in influencing leadership teams.

A Thorough Methodology for Administering Consistent Interviews

This article discusses the challenges of the hiring pipeline and how to have consistent interviews and a solid interview process. The author has implemented methods to ensure a positive experience for the candidate, such as having a junior and senior interviewer in each interview and coaching and training interviewers to maintain a positive tone. The interview process is structured to keep it consistent across candidates, and there is a standardized form to gather information about how well the interview went. The author also recommends having a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't.

Determining What Levels to Hire

When hiring for an organization, it is important to consider the company culture and the type of hire needed. For startups, it is best to hire more senior-level people who can deliver quickly and get up to speed fast. For heritage companies, it is more beneficial to hire junior-level people with the promise of career growth. Senior hires should be strategic and focused, and should be able to lead and fill gaps.

Giving Appropriate Praise and Feedback

This article discusses the importance of providing feedback in the workplace, and the different ways in which it can be delivered. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how an individual responds to feedback, and the need to ask them in private to determine the best way to deliver it. It also highlights the importance of balancing the frequency of feedback to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

Why Your Developers Are Not Delivering On Time

An emerging leader must understand why their developers are not meeting deadlines and take action to help them succeed. This includes initiating a frank conversation with developers, minimizing interruptions, and being clear on priorities. Studies have shown that multitasking slows people down and lowers the quality of work, so it is important to focus on one task at a time. It is also important to question one's own estimates and expectations before blaming the developers.

How to Attract Engineers When Your Company Scales Massively

Companies face a massive challenge when scaling rapidly and needing to hire an additional 100 engineers in a year. Different approaches can be taken, but focusing on quality is essential. Relying on people's networks, creating a catchy pitch, and making managers accountable for hiring are all strategies that have worked. Additionally, taking advantage of other companies' slow hiring process and allowing engineers to move around the company can help to find the right people for the right positions.

The Startup Dilemma: Who Should Be Your First Hires

Early-stage startups face many dilemmas, including who to hire first. It is important to anticipate the company's growth in the next 12 months and plan accordingly. It is recommended to prioritize leadership over management, and to focus on collaboration and teamwork rather than hiring an Engineering Manager (EM) unless there are at least 30 engineers. Senior engineers can be responsible for code reviews and approvals, and the company can dedicate an hour monthly to testing with all business teams. During interviews, focus on chemistry and collaboration.

Being Uncertain About a New Hire

As a first-time manager of an early-stage startup, it is important to make the right decision when hiring a new employee. To do this, it is necessary to determine what has changed and why, and to communicate expectations. It is also important to have a plan B in case the new hire does not work out, and to be aware that personal issues can affect performance. Managers must be wise and find the balance between being empathetic and professional, and be aware that different companies can tolerate different levels of uncertainty.

Growing Pains of Communicating a Product Vision to Your Team

This article provides advice on how to effectively communicate a product vision to a team as a Head of Product. It suggests identifying the communication problem, understanding what drives a product, hiring a technical product manager, explaining features by demonstrating the business value, and understanding the different roles in managing a product.

What is the Ideal Junior to Senior Developer Ratio? And How to Get There?

When building a development team, it is important to consider the ratio of junior, mid-level, and senior developers. A pyramidal structure with three juniors per mid-level and four mid-levels per senior is ideal, but the exact proportion should be adjusted to the company's needs. Mid-level developers are an essential part of a well-balanced team, and juniors should be encouraged to help each other and exchange ideas. Metrics and tracking working hours can help allocate resources more effectively.

Knowing When to Hire in a Startup

In startups, it is important to have a framework in place to know when to hire and for what position. Waiting two months after feeling an extreme pain point in the organization is advised, as the workload may taper off after a push. Additionally, the dynamic of the team changes with every new addition, so the person needs time to adjust and fuse into the role. Common mistakes include hiring for the wrong role, as needs are constantly changing.

Handling the Difficulties of Wearing Many Hats

In small companies and growing startups, it is common for a few people to wear multiple hats due to financial restraints. This can lead to burnout and confusion about roles, as well as a power struggle. To avoid these issues, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and be clear about which hat is being worn when communicating with others. Additionally, it is important to take time to relax and recharge in order to avoid burnout.

Structuring an Engineering Manager Training Program

In order to balance the technical and leadership sides of their management team, the author created an engineering training program from scratch. This included a self-study page on a Wiki, a leadership reading club, access to Plato, and a coaching program. Through this program, the author was able to provide engineering managers with the knowledge of what they are responsible for and the tools and resources to help them learn and grow.

A Detailed Hiring Process

This article outlines the hiring process of a manager, which includes a behavioral screen, technical screen, and on-site interviews. The manager emphasizes the importance of standardizing the process as much as possible, and uses a debriefing to ask questions and clarify why people said Yes or No to a candidate. The manager also does not do consensus hiring, and if a candidate receives all yeses but a No for technical reasons, then they will not be hired.

Defining a Product Strategy Using Foundational Answers

When designing a product roadmap or strategy, it is important to start with the basics and use the First Principle approach. This involves defining the problem that the company is trying to solve and having a well-defined intent. It is also important to keep in mind what you want to do in the future, but not too far ahead. Lessons learned include questioning everything that is being done and understanding the problem that needs to be solved in relation to the company's mission statement.

Techniques for Sourcing and Attracting Great Candidates

This article outlines the techniques used by a hiring manager to source great candidates for positions. These techniques include writing down the mission statement and outlining why it is important, using professional and social media accounts to advertise roles, writing articles for publications, and attending events such as HackerX. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships with potential candidates, even if they are not available to join the company at the time.

Recruiting Strategies for Finding Suitable Engineer Candidates

Recruiting engineers for a company can be challenging, but there are strategies that have proven to be successful. These include using your network, attending meetups, public speaking, integrating technical aspects into your pitch, and upselling other arenas if you are low on cash. All of these strategies involve face-to-face interactions to get people to know you and your organization, and become interested enough to join your team.

How To Rise into a Senior Engineering Leadership Position

This article discusses the changes that come with managing managers, such as delegating more, understanding what makes other leads successful, avoiding micromanaging, and having a long-term vision for your team. It also emphasizes the importance of the 80-20 Pareto law, understanding the difference between what is important and what is urgent, and focusing on the 20 percent of work that will bring the most results.

Principles to Set as a New Manager

As a new manager, it is important to strive for an autonomous team without bottlenecking. To do this, remain operational to fill in gaps, stay empathetic while setting limits, rely on facts, and avoid being the bridge between team members. Investing in understanding and reaching autonomy is difficult, but will pay off in the long run.

The Approach of Not Stopping for a Massive Rewrite

This article outlines the steps taken by a company to keep innovating and upgrading their product over the past 14 years. They started off with a basic appointment screen built in Delphi and on-premise, and then moved to the cloud with Memento 7. They also had two big overhauls of Memento 7, a look and feel facelift and an infrastructure overhaul. They are now working on Phorest Web, which is built with Ember.js and has an embedded web browser. The article also discusses the common problems with scaling product and the approach taken to avoid having to build a Phorest Web 2 in a few years.

Using a Compelling Narrative to Influence Leaders and Investors

This article discusses the importance of presenting a clear and compelling narrative when attempting to influence senior product leadership, angel investors, and VCs. The author shares their experience of not presenting a clear narrative when discussing the Facebook photos strategy to Mark Zuckerberg and the lessons they learned from it. They also provide a template of an 8 slide presentation that they have found to be successful in influencing strategic thinkers. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the root assumptions and creating a narrative that is aligned with the needs of the organization in order to be successful in influencing leadership teams.

A Thorough Methodology for Administering Consistent Interviews

This article discusses the challenges of the hiring pipeline and how to have consistent interviews and a solid interview process. The author has implemented methods to ensure a positive experience for the candidate, such as having a junior and senior interviewer in each interview and coaching and training interviewers to maintain a positive tone. The interview process is structured to keep it consistent across candidates, and there is a standardized form to gather information about how well the interview went. The author also recommends having a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't.

Determining What Levels to Hire

When hiring for an organization, it is important to consider the company culture and the type of hire needed. For startups, it is best to hire more senior-level people who can deliver quickly and get up to speed fast. For heritage companies, it is more beneficial to hire junior-level people with the promise of career growth. Senior hires should be strategic and focused, and should be able to lead and fill gaps.

Giving Appropriate Praise and Feedback

This article discusses the importance of providing feedback in the workplace, and the different ways in which it can be delivered. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how an individual responds to feedback, and the need to ask them in private to determine the best way to deliver it. It also highlights the importance of balancing the frequency of feedback to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

Why Your Developers Are Not Delivering On Time

An emerging leader must understand why their developers are not meeting deadlines and take action to help them succeed. This includes initiating a frank conversation with developers, minimizing interruptions, and being clear on priorities. Studies have shown that multitasking slows people down and lowers the quality of work, so it is important to focus on one task at a time. It is also important to question one's own estimates and expectations before blaming the developers.

How to Attract Engineers When Your Company Scales Massively

Companies face a massive challenge when scaling rapidly and needing to hire an additional 100 engineers in a year. Different approaches can be taken, but focusing on quality is essential. Relying on people's networks, creating a catchy pitch, and making managers accountable for hiring are all strategies that have worked. Additionally, taking advantage of other companies' slow hiring process and allowing engineers to move around the company can help to find the right people for the right positions.

The Startup Dilemma: Who Should Be Your First Hires

Early-stage startups face many dilemmas, including who to hire first. It is important to anticipate the company's growth in the next 12 months and plan accordingly. It is recommended to prioritize leadership over management, and to focus on collaboration and teamwork rather than hiring an Engineering Manager (EM) unless there are at least 30 engineers. Senior engineers can be responsible for code reviews and approvals, and the company can dedicate an hour monthly to testing with all business teams. During interviews, focus on chemistry and collaboration.

Being Uncertain About a New Hire

As a first-time manager of an early-stage startup, it is important to make the right decision when hiring a new employee. To do this, it is necessary to determine what has changed and why, and to communicate expectations. It is also important to have a plan B in case the new hire does not work out, and to be aware that personal issues can affect performance. Managers must be wise and find the balance between being empathetic and professional, and be aware that different companies can tolerate different levels of uncertainty.

Growing Pains of Communicating a Product Vision to Your Team

This article provides advice on how to effectively communicate a product vision to a team as a Head of Product. It suggests identifying the communication problem, understanding what drives a product, hiring a technical product manager, explaining features by demonstrating the business value, and understanding the different roles in managing a product.

What is the Ideal Junior to Senior Developer Ratio? And How to Get There?

When building a development team, it is important to consider the ratio of junior, mid-level, and senior developers. A pyramidal structure with three juniors per mid-level and four mid-levels per senior is ideal, but the exact proportion should be adjusted to the company's needs. Mid-level developers are an essential part of a well-balanced team, and juniors should be encouraged to help each other and exchange ideas. Metrics and tracking working hours can help allocate resources more effectively.

Knowing When to Hire in a Startup

In startups, it is important to have a framework in place to know when to hire and for what position. Waiting two months after feeling an extreme pain point in the organization is advised, as the workload may taper off after a push. Additionally, the dynamic of the team changes with every new addition, so the person needs time to adjust and fuse into the role. Common mistakes include hiring for the wrong role, as needs are constantly changing.

Handling the Difficulties of Wearing Many Hats

In small companies and growing startups, it is common for a few people to wear multiple hats due to financial restraints. This can lead to burnout and confusion about roles, as well as a power struggle. To avoid these issues, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and be clear about which hat is being worn when communicating with others. Additionally, it is important to take time to relax and recharge in order to avoid burnout.

Structuring an Engineering Manager Training Program

In order to balance the technical and leadership sides of their management team, the author created an engineering training program from scratch. This included a self-study page on a Wiki, a leadership reading club, access to Plato, and a coaching program. Through this program, the author was able to provide engineering managers with the knowledge of what they are responsible for and the tools and resources to help them learn and grow.

A Detailed Hiring Process

This article outlines the hiring process of a manager, which includes a behavioral screen, technical screen, and on-site interviews. The manager emphasizes the importance of standardizing the process as much as possible, and uses a debriefing to ask questions and clarify why people said Yes or No to a candidate. The manager also does not do consensus hiring, and if a candidate receives all yeses but a No for technical reasons, then they will not be hired.

Defining a Product Strategy Using Foundational Answers

When designing a product roadmap or strategy, it is important to start with the basics and use the First Principle approach. This involves defining the problem that the company is trying to solve and having a well-defined intent. It is also important to keep in mind what you want to do in the future, but not too far ahead. Lessons learned include questioning everything that is being done and understanding the problem that needs to be solved in relation to the company's mission statement.

Techniques for Sourcing and Attracting Great Candidates

This article outlines the techniques used by a hiring manager to source great candidates for positions. These techniques include writing down the mission statement and outlining why it is important, using professional and social media accounts to advertise roles, writing articles for publications, and attending events such as HackerX. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships with potential candidates, even if they are not available to join the company at the time.

Recruiting Strategies for Finding Suitable Engineer Candidates

Recruiting engineers for a company can be challenging, but there are strategies that have proven to be successful. These include using your network, attending meetups, public speaking, integrating technical aspects into your pitch, and upselling other arenas if you are low on cash. All of these strategies involve face-to-face interactions to get people to know you and your organization, and become interested enough to join your team.

How To Rise into a Senior Engineering Leadership Position

This article discusses the changes that come with managing managers, such as delegating more, understanding what makes other leads successful, avoiding micromanaging, and having a long-term vision for your team. It also emphasizes the importance of the 80-20 Pareto law, understanding the difference between what is important and what is urgent, and focusing on the 20 percent of work that will bring the most results.

Principles to Set as a New Manager

As a new manager, it is important to strive for an autonomous team without bottlenecking. To do this, remain operational to fill in gaps, stay empathetic while setting limits, rely on facts, and avoid being the bridge between team members. Investing in understanding and reaching autonomy is difficult, but will pay off in the long run.

The Approach of Not Stopping for a Massive Rewrite

This article outlines the steps taken by a company to keep innovating and upgrading their product over the past 14 years. They started off with a basic appointment screen built in Delphi and on-premise, and then moved to the cloud with Memento 7. They also had two big overhauls of Memento 7, a look and feel facelift and an infrastructure overhaul. They are now working on Phorest Web, which is built with Ember.js and has an embedded web browser. The article also discusses the common problems with scaling product and the approach taken to avoid having to build a Phorest Web 2 in a few years.

Using a Compelling Narrative to Influence Leaders and Investors

This article discusses the importance of presenting a clear and compelling narrative when attempting to influence senior product leadership, angel investors, and VCs. The author shares their experience of not presenting a clear narrative when discussing the Facebook photos strategy to Mark Zuckerberg and the lessons they learned from it. They also provide a template of an 8 slide presentation that they have found to be successful in influencing strategic thinkers. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the root assumptions and creating a narrative that is aligned with the needs of the organization in order to be successful in influencing leadership teams.

A Thorough Methodology for Administering Consistent Interviews

This article discusses the challenges of the hiring pipeline and how to have consistent interviews and a solid interview process. The author has implemented methods to ensure a positive experience for the candidate, such as having a junior and senior interviewer in each interview and coaching and training interviewers to maintain a positive tone. The interview process is structured to keep it consistent across candidates, and there is a standardized form to gather information about how well the interview went. The author also recommends having a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't.

Determining What Levels to Hire

When hiring for an organization, it is important to consider the company culture and the type of hire needed. For startups, it is best to hire more senior-level people who can deliver quickly and get up to speed fast. For heritage companies, it is more beneficial to hire junior-level people with the promise of career growth. Senior hires should be strategic and focused, and should be able to lead and fill gaps.

Giving Appropriate Praise and Feedback

This article discusses the importance of providing feedback in the workplace, and the different ways in which it can be delivered. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how an individual responds to feedback, and the need to ask them in private to determine the best way to deliver it. It also highlights the importance of balancing the frequency of feedback to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

Why Your Developers Are Not Delivering On Time

An emerging leader must understand why their developers are not meeting deadlines and take action to help them succeed. This includes initiating a frank conversation with developers, minimizing interruptions, and being clear on priorities. Studies have shown that multitasking slows people down and lowers the quality of work, so it is important to focus on one task at a time. It is also important to question one's own estimates and expectations before blaming the developers.

How to Attract Engineers When Your Company Scales Massively

Companies face a massive challenge when scaling rapidly and needing to hire an additional 100 engineers in a year. Different approaches can be taken, but focusing on quality is essential. Relying on people's networks, creating a catchy pitch, and making managers accountable for hiring are all strategies that have worked. Additionally, taking advantage of other companies' slow hiring process and allowing engineers to move around the company can help to find the right people for the right positions.

The Startup Dilemma: Who Should Be Your First Hires

Early-stage startups face many dilemmas, including who to hire first. It is important to anticipate the company's growth in the next 12 months and plan accordingly. It is recommended to prioritize leadership over management, and to focus on collaboration and teamwork rather than hiring an Engineering Manager (EM) unless there are at least 30 engineers. Senior engineers can be responsible for code reviews and approvals, and the company can dedicate an hour monthly to testing with all business teams. During interviews, focus on chemistry and collaboration.

Being Uncertain About a New Hire

As a first-time manager of an early-stage startup, it is important to make the right decision when hiring a new employee. To do this, it is necessary to determine what has changed and why, and to communicate expectations. It is also important to have a plan B in case the new hire does not work out, and to be aware that personal issues can affect performance. Managers must be wise and find the balance between being empathetic and professional, and be aware that different companies can tolerate different levels of uncertainty.

Growing Pains of Communicating a Product Vision to Your Team

This article provides advice on how to effectively communicate a product vision to a team as a Head of Product. It suggests identifying the communication problem, understanding what drives a product, hiring a technical product manager, explaining features by demonstrating the business value, and understanding the different roles in managing a product.

What is the Ideal Junior to Senior Developer Ratio? And How to Get There?

When building a development team, it is important to consider the ratio of junior, mid-level, and senior developers. A pyramidal structure with three juniors per mid-level and four mid-levels per senior is ideal, but the exact proportion should be adjusted to the company's needs. Mid-level developers are an essential part of a well-balanced team, and juniors should be encouraged to help each other and exchange ideas. Metrics and tracking working hours can help allocate resources more effectively.

Knowing When to Hire in a Startup

In startups, it is important to have a framework in place to know when to hire and for what position. Waiting two months after feeling an extreme pain point in the organization is advised, as the workload may taper off after a push. Additionally, the dynamic of the team changes with every new addition, so the person needs time to adjust and fuse into the role. Common mistakes include hiring for the wrong role, as needs are constantly changing.

Handling the Difficulties of Wearing Many Hats

In small companies and growing startups, it is common for a few people to wear multiple hats due to financial restraints. This can lead to burnout and confusion about roles, as well as a power struggle. To avoid these issues, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and be clear about which hat is being worn when communicating with others. Additionally, it is important to take time to relax and recharge in order to avoid burnout.

Structuring an Engineering Manager Training Program

In order to balance the technical and leadership sides of their management team, the author created an engineering training program from scratch. This included a self-study page on a Wiki, a leadership reading club, access to Plato, and a coaching program. Through this program, the author was able to provide engineering managers with the knowledge of what they are responsible for and the tools and resources to help them learn and grow.

A Detailed Hiring Process

This article outlines the hiring process of a manager, which includes a behavioral screen, technical screen, and on-site interviews. The manager emphasizes the importance of standardizing the process as much as possible, and uses a debriefing to ask questions and clarify why people said Yes or No to a candidate. The manager also does not do consensus hiring, and if a candidate receives all yeses but a No for technical reasons, then they will not be hired.

Defining a Product Strategy Using Foundational Answers

When designing a product roadmap or strategy, it is important to start with the basics and use the First Principle approach. This involves defining the problem that the company is trying to solve and having a well-defined intent. It is also important to keep in mind what you want to do in the future, but not too far ahead. Lessons learned include questioning everything that is being done and understanding the problem that needs to be solved in relation to the company's mission statement.

Techniques for Sourcing and Attracting Great Candidates

This article outlines the techniques used by a hiring manager to source great candidates for positions. These techniques include writing down the mission statement and outlining why it is important, using professional and social media accounts to advertise roles, writing articles for publications, and attending events such as HackerX. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships with potential candidates, even if they are not available to join the company at the time.

Recruiting Strategies for Finding Suitable Engineer Candidates

Recruiting engineers for a company can be challenging, but there are strategies that have proven to be successful. These include using your network, attending meetups, public speaking, integrating technical aspects into your pitch, and upselling other arenas if you are low on cash. All of these strategies involve face-to-face interactions to get people to know you and your organization, and become interested enough to join your team.

How To Rise into a Senior Engineering Leadership Position

This article discusses the changes that come with managing managers, such as delegating more, understanding what makes other leads successful, avoiding micromanaging, and having a long-term vision for your team. It also emphasizes the importance of the 80-20 Pareto law, understanding the difference between what is important and what is urgent, and focusing on the 20 percent of work that will bring the most results.

Principles to Set as a New Manager

As a new manager, it is important to strive for an autonomous team without bottlenecking. To do this, remain operational to fill in gaps, stay empathetic while setting limits, rely on facts, and avoid being the bridge between team members. Investing in understanding and reaching autonomy is difficult, but will pay off in the long run.

The Approach of Not Stopping for a Massive Rewrite

This article outlines the steps taken by a company to keep innovating and upgrading their product over the past 14 years. They started off with a basic appointment screen built in Delphi and on-premise, and then moved to the cloud with Memento 7. They also had two big overhauls of Memento 7, a look and feel facelift and an infrastructure overhaul. They are now working on Phorest Web, which is built with Ember.js and has an embedded web browser. The article also discusses the common problems with scaling product and the approach taken to avoid having to build a Phorest Web 2 in a few years.

Using a Compelling Narrative to Influence Leaders and Investors

This article discusses the importance of presenting a clear and compelling narrative when attempting to influence senior product leadership, angel investors, and VCs. The author shares their experience of not presenting a clear narrative when discussing the Facebook photos strategy to Mark Zuckerberg and the lessons they learned from it. They also provide a template of an 8 slide presentation that they have found to be successful in influencing strategic thinkers. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the root assumptions and creating a narrative that is aligned with the needs of the organization in order to be successful in influencing leadership teams.

A Thorough Methodology for Administering Consistent Interviews

This article discusses the challenges of the hiring pipeline and how to have consistent interviews and a solid interview process. The author has implemented methods to ensure a positive experience for the candidate, such as having a junior and senior interviewer in each interview and coaching and training interviewers to maintain a positive tone. The interview process is structured to keep it consistent across candidates, and there is a standardized form to gather information about how well the interview went. The author also recommends having a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't.

Determining What Levels to Hire

When hiring for an organization, it is important to consider the company culture and the type of hire needed. For startups, it is best to hire more senior-level people who can deliver quickly and get up to speed fast. For heritage companies, it is more beneficial to hire junior-level people with the promise of career growth. Senior hires should be strategic and focused, and should be able to lead and fill gaps.

Giving Appropriate Praise and Feedback

This article discusses the importance of providing feedback in the workplace, and the different ways in which it can be delivered. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how an individual responds to feedback, and the need to ask them in private to determine the best way to deliver it. It also highlights the importance of balancing the frequency of feedback to ensure that it is not too much or too little.

Why Your Developers Are Not Delivering On Time

An emerging leader must understand why their developers are not meeting deadlines and take action to help them succeed. This includes initiating a frank conversation with developers, minimizing interruptions, and being clear on priorities. Studies have shown that multitasking slows people down and lowers the quality of work, so it is important to focus on one task at a time. It is also important to question one's own estimates and expectations before blaming the developers.

How to Attract Engineers When Your Company Scales Massively

Companies face a massive challenge when scaling rapidly and needing to hire an additional 100 engineers in a year. Different approaches can be taken, but focusing on quality is essential. Relying on people's networks, creating a catchy pitch, and making managers accountable for hiring are all strategies that have worked. Additionally, taking advantage of other companies' slow hiring process and allowing engineers to move around the company can help to find the right people for the right positions.

The Startup Dilemma: Who Should Be Your First Hires

Early-stage startups face many dilemmas, including who to hire first. It is important to anticipate the company's growth in the next 12 months and plan accordingly. It is recommended to prioritize leadership over management, and to focus on collaboration and teamwork rather than hiring an Engineering Manager (EM) unless there are at least 30 engineers. Senior engineers can be responsible for code reviews and approvals, and the company can dedicate an hour monthly to testing with all business teams. During interviews, focus on chemistry and collaboration.

Being Uncertain About a New Hire

As a first-time manager of an early-stage startup, it is important to make the right decision when hiring a new employee. To do this, it is necessary to determine what has changed and why, and to communicate expectations. It is also important to have a plan B in case the new hire does not work out, and to be aware that personal issues can affect performance. Managers must be wise and find the balance between being empathetic and professional, and be aware that different companies can tolerate different levels of uncertainty.

Growing Pains of Communicating a Product Vision to Your Team

This article provides advice on how to effectively communicate a product vision to a team as a Head of Product. It suggests identifying the communication problem, understanding what drives a product, hiring a technical product manager, explaining features by demonstrating the business value, and understanding the different roles in managing a product.

What is the Ideal Junior to Senior Developer Ratio? And How to Get There?

When building a development team, it is important to consider the ratio of junior, mid-level, and senior developers. A pyramidal structure with three juniors per mid-level and four mid-levels per senior is ideal, but the exact proportion should be adjusted to the company's needs. Mid-level developers are an essential part of a well-balanced team, and juniors should be encouraged to help each other and exchange ideas. Metrics and tracking working hours can help allocate resources more effectively.

Knowing When to Hire in a Startup

In startups, it is important to have a framework in place to know when to hire and for what position. Waiting two months after feeling an extreme pain point in the organization is advised, as the workload may taper off after a push. Additionally, the dynamic of the team changes with every new addition, so the person needs time to adjust and fuse into the role. Common mistakes include hiring for the wrong role, as needs are constantly changing.

Handling the Difficulties of Wearing Many Hats

In small companies and growing startups, it is common for a few people to wear multiple hats due to financial restraints. This can lead to burnout and confusion about roles, as well as a power struggle. To avoid these issues, it is important to be aware of the power dynamics and be clear about which hat is being worn when communicating with others. Additionally, it is important to take time to relax and recharge in order to avoid burnout.

Structuring an Engineering Manager Training Program

In order to balance the technical and leadership sides of their management team, the author created an engineering training program from scratch. This included a self-study page on a Wiki, a leadership reading club, access to Plato, and a coaching program. Through this program, the author was able to provide engineering managers with the knowledge of what they are responsible for and the tools and resources to help them learn and grow.

A Detailed Hiring Process

This article outlines the hiring process of a manager, which includes a behavioral screen, technical screen, and on-site interviews. The manager emphasizes the importance of standardizing the process as much as possible, and uses a debriefing to ask questions and clarify why people said Yes or No to a candidate. The manager also does not do consensus hiring, and if a candidate receives all yeses but a No for technical reasons, then they will not be hired.

Defining a Product Strategy Using Foundational Answers

When designing a product roadmap or strategy, it is important to start with the basics and use the First Principle approach. This involves defining the problem that the company is trying to solve and having a well-defined intent. It is also important to keep in mind what you want to do in the future, but not too far ahead. Lessons learned include questioning everything that is being done and understanding the problem that needs to be solved in relation to the company's mission statement.

Techniques for Sourcing and Attracting Great Candidates

This article outlines the techniques used by a hiring manager to source great candidates for positions. These techniques include writing down the mission statement and outlining why it is important, using professional and social media accounts to advertise roles, writing articles for publications, and attending events such as HackerX. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of building relationships with potential candidates, even if they are not available to join the company at the time.

Recruiting Strategies for Finding Suitable Engineer Candidates

Recruiting engineers for a company can be challenging, but there are strategies that have proven to be successful. These include using your network, attending meetups, public speaking, integrating technical aspects into your pitch, and upselling other arenas if you are low on cash. All of these strategies involve face-to-face interactions to get people to know you and your organization, and become interested enough to join your team.

How To Rise into a Senior Engineering Leadership Position

This article discusses the changes that come with managing managers, such as delegating more, understanding what makes other leads successful, avoiding micromanaging, and having a long-term vision for your team. It also emphasizes the importance of the 80-20 Pareto law, understanding the difference between what is important and what is urgent, and focusing on the 20 percent of work that will bring the most results.

Principles to Set as a New Manager

As a new manager, it is important to strive for an autonomous team without bottlenecking. To do this, remain operational to fill in gaps, stay empathetic while setting limits, rely on facts, and avoid being the bridge between team members. Investing in understanding and reaching autonomy is difficult, but will pay off in the long run.