Archive - Alex Ewerlöf Notes

We invested 10% to pay back tech debt; Here's what happened

Why and how we continuously invested the team bandwidth to pay back tech debt and what were the results?

Jan 9, 2023 •

Staff Engineer vs Engineering Manager

When do you need a Staff Engineers? What's the accountability model with or without?

Nov 24, 2024 •

6 Archetypes of Broken Ownership

In the ownership trio, we discussed 3 elements: Knowledge, Mandate and Responsibility. This article digs into various broken ownership scenarios where…

Aug 1, 2023 •

When a team is too big

What signs to look for and how to increase productivity with all-round skillset

May 15 •

Introduction to Staff Engineering

The landing page for your curious neighbor

Feb 26, 2024 •

Strategy basics

Why strategy is important and what does it mean? The first in a series about WHY, WHAT and HOW of developing a tech strategy.

Dec 5, 2022 •

Senior to Staff Engineer

What are the similarities and differences? What are the criteria for promotion? And some tools and techniques that come in handy.

Sep 9, 2023 •

Beyond Staff Engineer

Some call it "Senior Staff", some "principal", others "technical director", but what comes after Staff Engineer? What are the challenges and toolset to…

Oct 11, 2023 •

When Staff Engineer is an anti-pattern

Reflections on a failed technical leadership interview

Feb 12, 2024 •

Kebab vs Cake organization

The 2 most common organization architectures, their key characteristics, pros, and cons with an example

Aug 6, 2024 •

Your business value

You should always generate more value than the perks the company puts on the table.

Jan 19 •

I failed 3 job applications; Here's what I learned

Tips and mistakes to avoid when applying software engineering jobs at top tech

Dec 20, 2022 •

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