← Back to blog

Start here

New to this site? Pick a path. Each list is a short, opinionated sequence — not everything I have written, but a sensible first pass.

Craft, influence, and growing without the manager title.

  1. 01 What Is a Staff Engineer (or Principal Engineer) and How Do You Get There? Staff and Principal Engineers shape technical direction and org impact, not just code. Here’s what the role is and how to grow into it.
  2. 02 How Product Engineers drive SaaS growth Product engineers bridge the gap between building and user value. How they drive SaaS growth through empathy, outcomes, and full-stack ownership.
  3. 03 Writing Better RFCs and Design Docs RFCs and design docs that get read and get feedback: structure, audience, and how to make decisions instead of endless discussion.

People, rituals, and the first months in the role.

  1. 01 From IC to Engineering Manager: First 90 Days Your first 90 days as an engineering manager: what to do, what to avoid, and how to set yourself and your team up for success.
  2. 02 How to Run Effective Engineering 1:1s (Agenda, Frequency, Outcomes) A practical guide to engineering 1:1s: how often to run them, what to put on the agenda, and how to turn conversations into clear outcomes and trust.
  3. 03 Delegation for Engineering Managers: What to Let Go First Practical delegation for engineering managers: what to delegate first, how to hand off without micromanaging, and when to step back in.

Shipping with AI without slowing down or fooling yourself.

  1. 01 Using AI in the Software Development Lifecycle (Without Slowing Shipping) Where AI helps in the SDLC—and where it doesn’t. How to adopt AI coding tools and automation without slowing down delivery.
  2. 02 The Paradox of AI-Acceleration: Why We Are Typing Faster but Shipping Slower AI lets us generate more code—but cycle times aren't dropping. Why velocity without tests, review, and observability just adds mass and risk.
  3. 03 Don't ask AI to build the house. Ask it to build the scaffolding. The real value of AI in development isn't production code—it's support code: tooling, tests, and scaffolding that gets you to the hard part faster.