An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

by Will Larson

Retention is the most important measure of availability of opportunity, although it’s also a very lagging indicator. This should be the first thing you’re paying attention to, but you must recognize that it’s slow to show change. Usage rate is how often folks get picked in project selection.2 The number of distinct team members picked to lead critical projects is a particularly interesting measure. Level distribution is useful, in particular comparing cohorts of folks with different backgrounds. People want role models for themselves in senior roles at the company where they work, which is why looking at the representation of underrepresented minorities and women is only a start. You also want to look in each role and level of seniority. Time at level is how long team members wait between promotions. How does this compare across cohorts? Something to watch for is that this number is also greatly influenced by initial level at hiring. For example, time at level might look equivalent because some cohorts are being under-leveled at time of hire. Getting access to some of this data will require partnering with your human resources team, but I’ve found that friendly persistence, along with sharing your thinking behind the asks, works well to get coworkers working with you.