People¶
People practices are not HR rituals. They are the systems that determine whether talented engineers stay, grow, and do their best work—or quietly disengage and leave.
Most engineering teams invest heavily in delivery systems but treat people processes as overhead: one-on-ones that drift into status updates, feedback that arrives too late, performance conversations that surprise everyone, hiring loops that select for culture fit rather than capability. These gaps don't show up in sprint metrics, but they show up in attrition, in disengagement, and in the slow erosion of psychological safety.
This section provides operational systems for the work that actually matters: building trust through consistent conversations, creating clarity around expectations and growth, hiring well and fairly, developing new leaders, and ensuring that opportunity is distributed equitably.
What this section covers¶
| Topic | What it solves | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| One-on-Ones | Builds trust, surfaces problems early, creates clarity on growth | One-on-Ones |
| Feedback Frameworks | Makes feedback specific, timely, and growth-oriented | Feedback Frameworks |
| Growth Plans | Translates aspirations into evidence-based quarterly outcomes | Growth Plans |
| Hiring Playbook | Structured hiring that reduces bias and predicts success | Hiring Playbook |
| Performance Management | Growth-first reviews with no surprises | Performance Management |
| Coaching New Tech Leads | First 90 days and core skills for new leaders | Coaching New Tech Leads |
| Succession Planning | Continuity, stretch assignments, and pipeline development | Succession Planning |
| Diversity in Leadership | Equitable growth and representation at every level | Diversity in Leadership |
Core philosophy¶
These practices share a common foundation:
Safety enables growth. People take risks, ask for help, and accept challenging feedback when they trust that failure won't be punished. Psychological safety is not softness—it's the foundation that allows high standards to stick.
Consistency beats intensity. A weekly 30-minute one-on-one creates more trust than a quarterly two-hour review. Regular, lightweight practices compound over time; sporadic, high-stakes events create anxiety.
Fairness requires systems. Good intentions don't produce equitable outcomes. Structured interviews, documented performance criteria, tracked opportunity distribution—these are the mechanisms that translate values into reality.
Growth is the goal. Even difficult conversations—feedback about underperformance, decisions about fit, conversations about unmet expectations—should be oriented toward helping people succeed. Accountability and development are not opposites.
How to use this section¶
Start where the pain is:
- If trust is low or turnover is high, begin with One-on-Ones and Feedback Frameworks.
- If you're scaling and hiring fast, start with the Hiring Playbook.
- If performance conversations are dreaded or surprising, work through Performance Management.
- If you're growing new managers or tech leads, use Coaching New Tech Leads and Growth Plans.
- If you're concerned about equitable advancement, start with Diversity in Leadership and Succession Planning.
Each page is designed to stand alone, but they work best when integrated. Growth plans inform one-on-ones. Feedback frameworks shape performance conversations. Succession planning depends on deliberate development.
What good looks like¶
| Signal | What you observe |
|---|---|
| One-on-ones are protected | Rarely cancelled; team members bring their own agenda |
| Feedback is frequent and specific | Issues are named early; improvement happens before reviews |
| Performance reviews hold no surprises | Ratings reflect ongoing conversations, not new information |
| Hiring is consistent | Interviewers use rubrics; candidates report fair treatment |
| Growth is visible and fair | Promotions are explainable; opportunity is tracked |
| New leads ramp up confidently | They have support systems and clear expectations |
| Attrition is understood | You know why people leave; voluntary turnover is low |
What usually goes wrong¶
| Anti-pattern | What it looks like | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Status one-on-ones | Project updates dominate; trust doesn't build | Move status async; protect one-on-ones for growth |
| Feedback avoidance | Problems escalate because hard conversations are delayed | Use frameworks; make feedback routine |
| Surprise reviews | Performance ratings feel arbitrary or unfair | Continuous feedback; no new information at review time |
| Culture fit hiring | Homogeneous teams; unconscious bias unchecked | Structured interviews; diverse panels; clear rubrics |
| Invisible opportunity | Stretch work goes to the same people | Track and distribute high-visibility assignments |
| Accidental managers | New leads struggle without support | Coaching system; first-90-days playbook |
| Succession gaps | Key departures create crises | Proactive succession planning; documented ownership |
Quick start¶
If you're just beginning to operationalize people practices, start here:
- Establish consistent one-on-ones. Weekly or biweekly, with a shared agenda. Make them non-negotiable.
- Learn one feedback framework. SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) is simple and effective.
- Document a hiring rubric. Before your next interview loop, agree on criteria and scoring.
- Create one growth plan. Use the template with a direct report; iterate from there.
These four actions will surface most of the gaps in your current systems and give you a foundation to build from.
Related sections¶
- Team Ops — Cadence, rituals, and working agreements that support people practices
- Culture — DEI strategy and engineering culture
- Metrics: Team Health — Measuring engagement, safety, and sustainability
- Leadership Development — Growing leaders at all levels
- Templates — Copy-paste artifacts including 1:1 agendas and growth plan templates