Engage the right stakeholders

You're on the pathway to building out an Engineering Growth Framework (EGF)! In part 1, we looked at getting started and defining the success criteria for your project. Now we come to a crucial, yet often overlooked step in the journey: engaging the right stakeholders.

As a software engineer it took me a while to understand the value of stakeholder engagement and I made more than a few missteps on the path to understanding that the right advocacy and support can make or break your project. Don’t rush this step, no matter how fast you want to move. Think of it like good project architecture that will avoid technical debt later. 

In tech, we love a good RACI, and here is the tl;dr for your stakeholder map:

• Responsible: You, Your working group/content writers
• Accountable: You
• Consulted: People & Culture representative, Head of Engineering, Engineering Managers (select group), advocates/champions and detractors. 
• Informed: Engineers, Engineering Managers, Head of Product, Head of (other tech functions)

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 Let's dive into why this is important. 

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People & Culture

You are essentially trying to codify performance evaluation so it's important it aligns with the P&C processes and what you create adds clarity to what's already there. A good EGF will underpin hiring, performance and promotion processes. Having the P&C team find out what you are doing at the end will mean either a quick death to your EGF, and something you have to run by stealth that is separate from actual evaluations processes. Neither will set your engineering team up for success.  

Build a relationship with someone in the P&C and show them what you are embarking on. Listen to their challenges with the engineering team. They can help you find a way to integrate this into the right processes. Share outcomes and content at each stage of completion, or invite them to attend workshops or working groups to deliver this project. 

Head of Engineering 

This can be done informally, but it's a good idea to put your case and plan forward to the person who leads your Engineering organization. Having their endorsement and advocacy will be essential for a successful implementation. Ask them what they hope to achieve in the next 3-5 years, and build these expectations into the EGF you create. 

Engineering Team 

This is the group you will get your content writers from. It's a tricky and nuanced balance making sure you have the right people in the group: too few and your EGF will not support a diverse group, and you codify your poor behaviors; too many and you will never reach consensus. As a rule of thumb, I like to ensure I have representations from the following groups:

1. Women and nb engineers: Including them will prevent you from codifying toxic masculine behaviors into your framework, and hearing stories of their struggle for recognition will alter your implementation to be better for everyone.  
2. Underrepresented minorities: People from different cultural backgrounds can help you identify the implied and assumed aspects of performance that are not articulated.
3. Advocates: Other people who are passionate about this too! You will need their drive, energy and enthusiasm to get others on board. These people are your inner circle. 
4. Detractors: There are always people with concerns about the change you are looking to implement, and you need to hear them. Seek them out, build relationships and see if you can find a path forward together they are comfortable with.

Once you have this group assembled, it's time to work with them to create the structure of your Engineering Growth Framework.

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Other blogs in this series:

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Part 1: Getting started with your EGF, and defining your measure of success

Part 3: Create a structure for your EGF

Part 4: Write the content collaboratively

Part 5: Roll out with robust change management practices 

BONUS: Enable data collection and feedback loops 

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