Moving from individual contributor (IC) to engineering manager (EM) takes more than a change in title. A 30-60-90-day plan gives you and your manager achievable milestones for the transition. Agree on the plan before stepping into the role, then use the roughly 90-day period to assess your fit, identify skill gaps, and discuss how you are adapting. section 2.4.1
Keep the plan grounded in conversations and achievable goals:
- Discuss your motivations, strengths, and weaknesses with your manager before setting time-bound goals. section 2.6
- Meet regularly to review milestones, share feedback, and recognize progress. section 2.6
- Clarify how performance will be evaluated and what happens if the transition is not a fit, including whether returning to an IC role is possible. section 2.4.1
An early relationship-building activity
Write down the names of the engineers you will manage and arrange a one-on-one with each. Ask what is working, what hurts, and whom else you should meet. Those conversations can reveal team strengths and areas for improvement. They are a useful activity to consider for a plan, not a prescribed day-30 milestone. section 2.6
The same time frame can structure a new hire’s onboarding plan. In that setting, pair the plan with an onboarding buddy, frequent one-on-ones, and access to training materials. What achievable milestone would help you judge progress in your own transition? section 7.1.5
Figure 7.1 Sample onboarding plan for new hires
A sample onboarding-plan template provides an artifact for considering the new-hire version of this time frame. section 7.1.5
