Field guides

Decision frameworks for engineering leaders

Each guide takes one decision a technical leader has to make, gives the answer we would give in the room, and names the conditions that change it. They come out of work we have done, with the evidence and the limits stated.

Current guide

Updated

Redesigning the engineering ladder for AI-native teams

A custody-based leveling and hiring framework for the AI era: levels defined by what you can be accountable for, a standardized assessment cockpit, and a protected formation budget that keeps the junior-to-senior pipeline alive.

  1. Modernizing legacy systems with AI agents

    A control-loop strategy for AI-agent modernization: structure first, plans as reviewed prompts, machine-generated parity evidence, and a clear fit test.

Working on one of these decisions?

If one of these decisions is on your desk this quarter, we can work through it with you. Write to us and say what is stuck.