Repository: littleblah/senior-engineer-checklist
Branch: master
Commit: 10d97cd73caf
Files: 4
Total size: 13.9 KB
Directory structure:
gitextract_6p4mm07_/
├── LICENSE.md
├── README.md
├── index.html
└── senior-engineer-checklist.json
================================================
FILE CONTENTS
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FILE: LICENSE.md
================================================
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2019 littleblah
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
================================================
FILE: README.md
================================================
# Senior Engineer Checklist
I created this checklist for my use when I joined a new company as a senior engineer. Feel free to create a pull request.
Visit [https://littleblah.com/](https://littleblah.com/post/2019-09-01-senior-engineer-checklist/) to select, filter and download this data as csv.
You can also download and use [jq](https://stedolan.github.io/jq/) to convert this JSON to csv or other formats of your choice.
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FILE: index.html
================================================
Head over to <a href="https://littleblah.com">the main site</a>
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FILE: senior-engineer-checklist.json
================================================
{
"data": [
{
"task": "Understand the business aspect of your work, and what makes money. Eventually, only that matters.",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Get involved with hiring for your team and company, and maintain a high bar for hiring quality candidates.",
"category": "hiring",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Design and develop systems appropriate to scale, extensibility, and scope of the problem. Avoid over-engineering.",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Question everything and ask \"why\" repetitively until you get to the root of problems and situations.",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Demand accountability and ownership from others.",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Once you understand the company's needs, lead at least one high-impact project with a clear definition and target of successful delivery.",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Work towards disambiguating ambiguous problem statements.",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Cultivate relationships with other teams and develop trust.",
"category": "network",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Do not be adamant about your views. Listen to others and accept that there is more than one way to look at a problem statement, and multiple valid solutions to a problem.",
"category": "network",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Be involved with multiple projects as a consultant, a reviewer and/or a mentor.",
"category": "network",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Follow the principles of extreme ownership.",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Have strong mentors to help you navigate and grow in the company.",
"category": "mentor",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Take projects with high risk and high rewards.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Strive for deep technical expertise in technologies used in your team.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Ask for stretch projects from your manager, or help her identify one for you.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Discuss the goals of your manager, and how you align your work with it.",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Invest time in networking effectively with seniors, peers, and juniors.",
"category": "network",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Be a mentor to a couple of junior engineers.",
"category": "mentor",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Increase your breadth of knowledge in the domain of your team/company.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Drive your one-on-ones. Maintain a list of topics for the next one-on-one discussion.",
"category": "one-on-one",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Discuss problems with your manager, but have some solutions beforehand.",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Increase your breadth of knowledge in technology.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Explore emerging technologies by building small prototypes.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Read a few technical books every year.",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Before suggesting the next big shiny technology for your production stack, understand its pros and cons thoroughly.",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Schedule a regular one-on-one with your manager",
"category": "one-on-one",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Schedule a regular one-on-one with your skip level manager",
"category": "one-on-one",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "[Reminder] One-on-one usually is not a status meeting",
"category": "one-on-one",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Involve the manager in your personal life (just a little though)",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Actively seek feedback from your manager",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Keep your manager up-to-date in things you are involved with, but don't get bogged down in unnecessary detail",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Keep your manager up-to-date in things you are blocked on",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Keep your manager up-to-date on people you have difficulty working with",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Give constructive feedback to your manager",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "If you are overworked, let your manager know",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "If you are under-utilized, ask your manager for areas to explore",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "If you have an ineffective or neglectful manager, talk to your manager about your expectations",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "If you have a micromanager, talk to your manager about your expectations",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "If you have an abusive manager, talk to your skip manager or HR with data points",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "If you have an ineffective skip manager and ineffective manager, switch the team or company",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "If you do not have a cordial relationship with your manager, switch the team or company",
"category": "managers",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "[Reminder] Leverage = impact produced/time invested. Use leverage as a yardstick for effectiveness",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Measure what you want to improve. Make efforts measurable",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Maintain high visibility of projects which have a high risk",
"category": "growth",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "To deal with difficult folks, discuss with your managers and mentors",
"category": "network",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "To deal with difficult folks, fall back to first principles",
"category": "network",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Be reachable to other engineers",
"category": "network",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Have a huge bias for action and delivery, but do not over-compromise on quality. Push back if required",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Simplify code, systems, and architectures relentlessly",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Demand high-quality work from others, but be pragmatic",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Prioritize fixing tech-debt in code, systems, and architecture when the incremental cost to develop keeps rising",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Document extensively, and demand it from others. Document \"why\" more than \"how\"",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Avoid politics, but have right folks vouch for your work",
"category": "politics",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "When dealing with politics, fall back to first principles",
"category": "politics",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "If politics thrives due to team or company culture, switch",
"category": "politics",
"effort": "high",
"caimpact": "high",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Try not to get involved in office gossip",
"category": "politics",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Avoid stretching yourself too thin to be effective",
"category": "leadership",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "low"
},
{
"task": "Respect code and systems that came before you. There are reasons for every code and every guard that exists in production",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "low",
"caimpact": "low",
"coimpact": "medium"
},
{
"task": "Before you suggest major refactors, ensure you understand the system deeply",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "high"
},
{
"task": "Resist the urge to refactor major systems to achieve simplification, because there's a risk you will end up with a similarly complex system after some time",
"category": "technology",
"effort": "medium",
"caimpact": "medium",
"coimpact": "high"
}
]
}
gitextract_6p4mm07_/ ├── LICENSE.md ├── README.md ├── index.html └── senior-engineer-checklist.json
Condensed preview — 4 files, each showing path, character count, and a content snippet. Download the .json file or copy for the full structured content (16K chars).
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