Merge pull request #13 from packbackbooks/updates

MGMT-71 Add documentation for managers on how to coach for productivity

Author: dbhynds

Diff for: 1-on-1s.md

@@ -7,12 +7,12 @@ Regular 1:1 meetings with your manager are one of the most important meetings yo
 * Having an opportunity for quick pieces of feedback both from—and to—your manager
 * Staying informed of big-picture stuff that might impact you and your team
 * Building a trusting relationship with your manager
-* Getting feedback on that 10% formed idea you have, that you're just not ready to share widely yet.
+* Getting feedback on that 10% formed idea you have, that you're just not ready to share widely yet
 * Making sure you have a focused place to address those important topics that are hard to carve out time for (e.g. career development)
 
-From the point of view of the employee, 1:1s are a great opportunity to be proactive about your career advancement, and from the point of view of the manager, 1:1s are an ideal opportunity to learn quickly about any frustrations and annoyances before they become larger issues.
+From the point of view of the employee, 1:1s are a great opportunity to be proactive about your career advancement and [become a better engineer](productivity.md). From the point of view of the manager, 1:1s are an ideal opportunity to learn quickly about any frustrations and annoyances before they become larger issues.
 
-1:1s are a key part of growing personally and professionally in your role. The key to a good 1:1 meeting is the understanding that it is the employee’s meeting rather than the manager’s meeting, and that, you should take ownership of proactively setting the agenda for your 1:1s
+1:1s are a key part of growing personally and professionally in your role. The key to a good 1:1 meeting is the understanding that it is the employee's meeting rather than the manager's meeting, and that, you should take ownership of proactively setting the agenda for your 1:1s
 
 At Packback, everybody should expect to have 1:1 meetings with their managers weekly, and additionally have skip-level 1:1s (that is: 1:1s with their manager's manager) on a regular cadence.
 
@@ -39,16 +39,16 @@ These topics should be addressed in every 1:1.
 
 * **Is there anything on your mind? Are there any specific issues you want to discuss?** - You should spend the majority of the time in your 1:1 here. This is your chance to talk about areas where you want to grow. This may be in the form of questions about the business, product, or technical architecture; asking for feedback on an area where you are having trouble; or talking about what you want for the future of your career and what needs to happen to get you there. If you have feedback or suggestions of how to improve our process, let them know.
 * **How is your relationship with your manager? (Skip-level only)** - 
-During skip-level 1:1s (with your manager’s manager), share feedback on how your manager is doing. Do you feel supported by them and satisfied with the coaching you are receiving? What can they do to improve?
+During skip-level 1:1s (with your manager's manager), share feedback on how your manager is doing. Do you feel supported by them and satisfied with the coaching you are receiving? What can they do to improve?
 
 ### Frequently in 1:1s
 
-These topics don’t need to be covered every week, but you should discuss them frequently (as needed).
+These topics don't need to be covered every week, but you should discuss them frequently (as needed).
 
 * **How are you doing on your OKRs?** - Discuss any changes to your progress towards OKRs, especially changes to the status of your OKRs (completed, on-track, behind, at-risk). This is a great opportunity to discuss risks to hitting OKRs and come up with strategies to get as much value as possible from OKRs if they fall behind.
-* **How are you feeling about your work at Packback?** - Share with your manager how you’re feeling. We value developer joy, and want to create a work environment that fosters happiness and satisfaction. For example if there is something you’ve enjoyed working on and want to do more of in the future, let your manager know. On the flip side, if you’re feeling burnt out, frustrated, or bad about something related to your job, talk to your manager about it.
+* **How are you feeling about your work at Packback?** - Share with your manager how you're feeling. We value developer joy, and want to create a work environment that fosters happiness and satisfaction. For example if there is something you've enjoyed working on and want to do more of in the future, let your manager know. On the flip side, if you're feeling burnt out, frustrated, or bad about something related to your job, talk to your manager about it.
 * **Do any items from last week need follow-up conversation?** - Discuss any unresolved items from your last 1:1 that still require additional conversation.
-* **How is your relationship with your manager? (Skip-level only)** - During skip-level 1:1s (with your manager’s manager), share feedback on how your manager is doing. Do you feel supported by them and satisfied with the coaching you are receiving? What can they do to improve?
+* **How is your relationship with your manager? (Skip-level only)** - During skip-level 1:1s (with your manager's manager), share feedback on how your manager is doing. Do you feel supported by them and satisfied with the coaching you are receiving? What can they do to improve?
 
 ### What If I Have Nothing to Discuss?
 
@@ -60,4 +60,4 @@ If you're short on ideas, you can use the questions like the ones below to promp
 * How can we make our 1:1s more helpful?
 * What do you want to be doing in [6 mo, 1 yr, 2 yrs] that you're not doing now?
 * What elements of our process have room for improvement?
-* Is there a specific area of our tech stack that you’d like to know more about?
+* Is there a specific area of our tech stack that you'd like to know more about?

Diff for: README.md

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 At Packback, we build technology to take best-practices for building student-centered learning environments out of the realm of theory, and into the classroom. The solutions we build have been used by over a million students (and growing) and have a real, measurable impact on student learning and critical thinking in the classroom.
 
+More information about Packback product, purpose, values, and what it's like to work here can be found in the [Packback Brand Book](https://resources.packback.co/hubfs/Packback_Brand_Book.pdf).
+
 ## Careers at Packback
 
 ### Open Positions
@@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ The [engineering ladder at Packback](careers/readme.md) provides a clear progres
 
 Packback conducts performance reviews 3 times a year. In your review, you and your manager will discuss the wins and successes you've had since your last review as well as opportunities for growth and improvement.
 
-In addition to performance reviews, everyone on the engineering team has [weekly 1-on-1s](1-on-1s.md) with their manager. We also have annual conversations about [conscious career growth](career-growth.md) you progress towards your long-term career goals.
+In addition to performance reviews, everyone on the engineering team has [weekly 1-on-1s](1-on-1s.md) to talk about [how to be a better engineer](productivity.md). We also have annual conversations about [conscious career growth](career-growth.md) you progress towards your long-term career goals.
 
 ## Software Development at Packback
 
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ imagemagick installed:
 Working in the Education Technology space, we need to consider the needs of our audience's wide range of backgrounds and educational experiences. Packback believes it is an ethical necessity to build a diverse and inclusive team. Some of the ways we do that include:
 
 * Remote-first team and accommodating work policies to reach a wider audience.
-* Flexible vacation and working policy.
+* Unlimited paid time off with a minimum of 10 days per year.
 * 401k with employer match, full health and vision insurance.
 * Education stipend for ongoing training and personal development.
 * 8-12 weeks fully paid parental leave policy (for either parent welcoming a new child through birth or adoption, or to care for a family member in need).

Diff for: career-growth.md

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ This exercise is designed to help you think through your ideal future. We'll be
 
 ## How This Works
 
-First, this is **not a performance conversation, there is no way to fail at this**. We already have tools in place to help you get to your next promotion (performance reviews every trimester, annual peer reviews, a regular cadence of opportunities for promotion, and [1-on-1s](1-on-1s.md) for weekly coaching). This exercise is not about your next promotion. Conscious career growth is about longer timescales, so try and forget the next year for now.
+First, this is **not a performance conversation, there is no way to fail at this**. We already have tools in place to help you get to your next promotion and [become a better engineer](productivity.md) (performance reviews every trimester, annual peer reviews, a regular cadence of opportunities for promotion, and [1-on-1s](1-on-1s.md)). This exercise is not about your next promotion. Conscious career growth is about longer timescales, so try and forget the next year for now.
 
 **This is not an exercise with an end date**. There is no "up and out." When you reach one career milestone it is simply time to look forward to the next. You'll be exploring the overlap between your aspirations and your career at Packback, and revisiting and tweaking regularly. Going into this meeting, both parties should be in a **directional, aspirational mindset!** Don't be afraid or embarrassed to think big. You may feel confident, unsure, excited or nervous. It doesn't matter, just have ideas that make you feel something.
 

Diff for: productivity.md

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# Becoming a better engineer
+
+Growth is hard, and becoming a better engineer takes time and practice. When trying to become a better engineer, it's not always clear where you should focus your energy or what you can do to solve the challenges you face. Thankfully, you're not alone. Your peers are facing similar challenges.
+
+This guide addresses common challenges that engineers face during their growth path and offers strategies and behaviors that can help them overcome these challenges.
+
+## Team productivity
+
+### Prioritizing work
+
+One of the primary goals of agile methodology is ensuring that the most important work gets done first, so deciding which tickets to prioritize is essential. Tickets should generally be worked on in the following order:
+
+1. P1 or P2 tickets
+2. Open tickets*
+3. Unstarted tickets*
+
+*When you have multiple tickets that fall into either the open or unstarted category, use the following priorities:
+
+1. Carryover tickets
+2. Late-add tickets
+3. Sprint goal tickets
+4. Other tickets
+
+Confused? Hey look, a handy flow chart!
+
+![A visual representation of how to prioritize tickets](ticket_priority.drawio.png)
+
+### Accurately planning work
+
+- Use retrospectives to identify and solve common problems in estimating tickets.
+- Talk to the product team early and often. Understanding the requirements is key to planning work accurately.
+- Collaborate with the product team if you have ideas for how to improve and/or simplify the work. They are aligned to our goal of delivering high-quality work quickly, so suggestions are welcomed.
+- Some work is very difficult to plan by just looking at it. Make prototypes or use research tickets to help gain a better understanding of the problem and identify potential issues.
+- Ask: What are some non-obvious interactions that might cause problems?
+- In planning meetings, get everyone to speak, so everyone is able to share their unique perspective. There might be long periods of silence while folks are thinking, and that's ok.
+
+### Handling grossly misestimated tickets
+
+- Work with the backlog owner to reduce the scope and update the DoD.
+- Create additional tickets to encompass the remaining work.
+- Working with the backlog owner, determine whether the additional tickets should be pulled into the current sprint or prioritized for an upcoming sprint.
+- Reflect on how we could have estimated this ticket better. Advocate for ways to improve estimation in sprint retrospective.
+
+## Troubleshooting individual productivity
+
+### Consistently low velocity (typically junior)
+
+Low velocity is usually a symptom of either time management issues or taking tickets that are too difficult.
+
+- Limit work-in-progress. You should never have more than 3 tickets open at a time. Ideally you should only ever 1 in progress and 1-2 in PR. Focus on one thing at a time to reduce the need for context switching.
+- Use the guide for [prioritizing work](#prioritizing-work) to decide what you should be working on.
+- Take small, well-defined tickets. Avoid 3-point and limit 2-point tickets, as these usually contain large areas of uncertainty.
+- Before starting any ticket, make a plan for how you will accomplish the ticket. Present that plan to a more senior engineer and get feedback.
+  - For larger tasks, repeat this process daily, revising your plan as you go along.
+- If you struggle with rabbit-holing, set a repeating timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, if you don't feel like you're making meaningful progress, reach out for help.
+  - Once you are consistently making progress, increase the timer interval until you feel confident that you can notice when you're stuck and need help.
+
+As a manager of a team member struggling with low velocity, begin by asking open-ended questions to get the developer to reflect on why they've been struggling to deliver tickets.
+
+- How does the person feel about their tickets?
+  - Can they identify any trends in the problems they encounter with tickets?
+- How do they feel asking for help?
+  - What prevents them from noticing that they should ask for help?
+  - What prevents them from reaching out for help when they notice they're stuck?
+
+### Unpredictable / highly variable velocity (typically mid-level)
+
+When a developer's productivity fluctuates dramatically, this is often a symptom of taking on highly complex work relative to their level.
+
+- Pair when planning for tickets outside your expertise. Talk through your proposed solutions with another engineer proficient in that area to make sure your plan of attack is sound before devoting too much time to it.
+  - The same applies when you get stuck on a problem with multiple possible solutions.
+- Create and protect dedicated focus time. As you gain more responsibility on the team, more demands will be placed on your time. If external demands (late-adds, meetings, etc.) are preventing you from getting dedicated focus time, talk to your manager about strategies (cut back, consolidate, delegate, etc.) to free up time.
+- Learning complex problem-solving takes time; keep at it. Unfortunately, the long term solution to this problem is to just keep practicing until you gain mastery over new skills. Keep challenging yourself, just make sure you don't slip into consistently low velocity.
+
+### Bus-factor 1 (typically senior)
+
+What would happen to the team if you got hit by a bus? When a developer is the only person who is capable of performing a task, this is a symptom of knowledge siloing.
+
+- **Document everything.** Create documentation explaining how a system or process works.
+- **Create an ownership rotation.** Train another developer to a service or process. Let them handle the majority of responsibilities related to that service for the next several months. Once a developer gains competency, begin cross-training the next person.
+  - **Cross-train technical skills.** Stop taking tickets related to a service, and instead devote time to pairing with the developer until they are confident to maintain it themselves. Use this to drive improvements to documentation.
+  - **Designate an alternate.** Train an alternate on how to operate a process in your absence. Supervise until you feel comfortable letting them operate it independently. For example, attend a meeting but let them run it; later, stop attending the meeting to ensure they can run it without you.
+- **Grant access and permissions.** Ensure that at least one other person has proper access and permissions to all services and vendor accounts within the organization.
+- **Take a vacation!** Then observe what happens when you go on vacation. Use single points of failure that came up as a way to guide building redundancy.