Engineering Management Glossary
Definitions of key terms in engineering management, team leadership, and performance management.
27 terms
1:1 Meeting
Also known as: One-on-One, 1-on-1, Check-in
A recurring private meeting between a manager and direct report to discuss career development, provide feedback, address concerns, and build rapport. Effective 1:1s focus on the employee's needs rather than status updates.
9 Box Grid
Also known as: Nine Box, Performance-Potential Matrix, Talent Grid
A talent management framework that plots employees on two axes: current performance (x-axis) and future potential (y-axis). The resulting 9 boxes help managers identify high performers, succession candidates, and employees needing development.
Action Item
Also known as: Task, To-Do, Follow-up
A specific, assignable task that emerges from meetings, reviews, or goals. Effective action items have clear ownership, deadlines, and measurable completion criteria.
Async Standup
Also known as: Asynchronous Standup, Written Standup, Slack Standup
A daily team check-in conducted asynchronously through tools like Slack rather than a synchronous meeting. Team members submit updates on their own schedule, typically covering what they did, what they'll do, and any blockers.
Blocker
Also known as: Impediment, Obstacle, Block
An obstacle preventing an engineer from making progress on their work. Blockers can be technical (dependencies, infrastructure), organizational (waiting on approvals), or personal (unclear requirements). Identifying and resolving blockers quickly is a key management responsibility.
Burnout
Also known as: Engineer Burnout, Developer Burnout
A state of chronic workplace stress characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. In engineering, burnout often manifests as decreased code quality, disengagement from team activities, and eventually turnover.
Calibration
Also known as: Performance Calibration, Rating Calibration
The process of aligning performance assessments across managers to ensure consistency and fairness. Calibration sessions involve managers comparing their ratings and adjusting for individual biases or different standards.
Career Ladder
Also known as: Engineering Ladder, Leveling Framework, Career Framework
A structured framework defining the progression path for a role, including levels (e.g., Junior, Mid, Senior, Staff), competencies expected at each level, and criteria for advancement.
Competency
Also known as: Skill, Capability
A specific skill, behavior, or attribute that contributes to job performance. Engineering competencies often include technical skills, communication, leadership, and problem-solving. Competency frameworks define expectations at each career level.
Direct Report
Also known as: Report, Team Member
An employee who reports directly to a specific manager. Engineering managers typically have 5-8 direct reports, though this varies by organization and role complexity.
Disengagement
Also known as: Quiet Quitting, Checked Out
A state where an employee is emotionally disconnected from their work, characterized by minimal effort, lack of initiative, and reduced participation. Disengagement often precedes burnout or resignation.
Engineering Manager
Also known as: EM, Tech Lead Manager, Development Manager
A role responsible for both the technical success of a team and the career development of individual engineers. Engineering managers balance people management (1:1s, reviews, hiring) with technical leadership (architecture, code quality, process).
Flight Risk
Also known as: Attrition Risk, Turnover Risk
An employee showing signs that they may leave the organization. Indicators include decreased engagement, updated LinkedIn profiles, sudden PTO requests, and withdrawal from team activities.
Goal
Also known as: Objective, OKR
A specific outcome an employee aims to achieve within a defined time period. Effective goals follow the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Manager-Only Mode
Also known as: Private Mode, Confidential Standups
A standup configuration where responses are visible only to the manager, not to the broader team. This creates psychological safety for engineers to share sensitive concerns without public exposure.
Micro Check-in
Also known as: AI Check-in, Proactive Check-in
A brief, focused question sent to an employee to gather context about their work, blockers, or wellbeing. Unlike surveys, micro check-ins are conversational, context-aware, and triggered by signals rather than schedules.
OKR
Also known as: Objectives and Key Results
Objectives and Key Results—a goal-setting framework where an Objective describes what you want to achieve, and Key Results are measurable outcomes that indicate progress. Popularized by Intel and Google.
Performance Review
Also known as: Performance Evaluation, Annual Review, Performance Appraisal
A formal evaluation of an employee's work over a defined period, typically covering achievements, strengths, areas for improvement, and development plans. Reviews inform compensation, promotion, and development decisions.
Potential
Also known as: Growth Potential, HiPo
An assessment of an employee's capacity for future growth, learning, and increased responsibility. High-potential employees demonstrate adaptability, learning agility, and leadership qualities beyond their current role.
Psychological Safety
Also known as: Safe Environment, Trust
A team environment where members feel safe to take interpersonal risks—like admitting mistakes, asking questions, or raising concerns—without fear of punishment or embarrassment. Research shows psychological safety is critical for high-performing teams.
Pulse Survey
Also known as: Employee Pulse, Engagement Survey
A short, frequent survey (usually 3-7 questions) designed to measure team sentiment, engagement, or specific concerns. Unlike annual surveys, pulse surveys provide real-time feedback to managers.
Recency Bias
Also known as: Recent Events Bias
The tendency to overweight recent events when evaluating performance, causing managers to forget accomplishments from earlier in the review period. Continuous documentation helps counteract recency bias.
Skip-Level
Also known as: Skip-Level Meeting, Skip-Level 1:1
A meeting between an employee and their manager's manager, skipping one level of the hierarchy. Skip-levels provide senior leaders with unfiltered feedback and give employees visibility into broader organizational context.
SMART Goals
Also known as: SMART Framework, SMART Objectives
A framework for writing effective goals: Specific (clear what needs to be done), Measurable (can track progress), Achievable (realistic), Relevant (aligned with broader objectives), and Time-bound (has a deadline).
Span of Control
Also known as: Team Size, Direct Report Count
The number of direct reports a manager oversees. Research suggests 5-7 direct reports is optimal for engineering managers, allowing sufficient time for meaningful 1:1s and development conversations.
Standup
Also known as: Daily Standup, Daily Scrum, Stand-up Meeting
A brief team meeting (traditionally held standing up to keep it short) where members share progress, plans, and blockers. Originally from Scrum, standups help teams stay aligned and surface issues early.
Succession Planning
Also known as: Successor Identification, Leadership Pipeline
The process of identifying and developing employees who can fill key positions when current leaders leave. The 9 box grid is commonly used to identify succession candidates.