Growth ladders and competency matrices
Explicit descriptions of what each level looks like for each competency. They make "what does the next level require?" a concrete question, and make promotion decisions comparable across people and teams.
Evidence grade: practice A widely adopted practitioner model with clear provenance.
Use it when
Career conversations; promotion decisions; fairness across teams; calibration.
Where it stops working
A ladder describes what each level involves and sets no schedule. It decays into collecting checkboxes when levels are treated as tenure milestones instead of demonstrated judgment.
Where the standard uses it
- PL-5Career development and growth pathsOne-on-ones, promotions, the Staff+ track, and the IC/manager choice.
Sources
- Camille Fournier. The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change. O'Reilly Media, 2017. In the bibliography
Used alongside it
- Calibration practice
- Readiness practice
- The one-on-one as the report's meeting practice
- The Staff+ track practice
Cite this model
Chicago, BibTeX and licence →Engineering Management Academy. (2026). Growth ladders and competency matrices. In Engineering Management Academy Body of Knowledge (Version 3.1, TEC.growth-ladders-and-competency-matrices). https://www.engineeringmanagement.academy/body-of-knowledge/techniques/growth-ladders-and-competency-matrices