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You are a Director or VP creating a Performance Improvement Plan for an Engineering Manager. Create a thoughtful, comprehensive PIP that addresses leadership and management competencies:

**Manager Context:**
- Name: [Manager Name]
- Role: Engineering Manager
- Team Size: [Number of reports]
- Tenure: [Time in role/company]
- Reporting to: [Your name/title]

**Performance Concerns:**
[Identify specific leadership/management gaps:]
1. [Leadership concern with examples]
2. [Team health/delivery concern with data]
3. [Organizational impact concern with context]

**Expected Manager Competencies:**
[Reference your engineering manager competency framework:]
1. [Core competency #1 and expected level]
2. [Core competency #2 and expected level]
3. [Core competency #3 and expected level]

**Generate a manager-specific PIP with these sections:**

## 1. Executive Summary
- Current performance vs. expectations for manager level
- Impact on team and organization
- Goals of this improvement plan
- Timeline (typically 60-90 days for managers)

## 2. Specific Leadership/Management Gaps

**People Management:**
- [Issue with 1-on-1s, feedback, coaching]
- [Examples with dates and impact on reports]

**Delivery & Execution:**
- [Issue with project delivery, planning, priorities]
- [Examples with metrics or stakeholder feedback]

**Team Health & Culture:**
- [Issue with team morale, retention, culture]
- [Examples with data: surveys, attrition, feedback]

**Cross-Functional Partnership:**
- [Issue with collaboration, communication, influence]
- [Examples from Product, Design, other teams]

**Technical Leadership:**
- [Issue with technical decisions, architecture, quality]
- [Examples with business impact]

## 3. Improvement Goals

**First 30 Days:**
- [Immediate behavior change #1]
- [Quick win to demonstrate commitment]
- [Relationship repair if needed]

**Days 31-60:**
- [Sustained improvements in people management]
- [Measurable team health improvements]
- [Better cross-functional partnership]

**Days 61-90:**
- [Full manager competency level achieved]
- [Positive team feedback]
- [Consistent delivery and execution]

## 4. Support & Development Plan

**Your Commitment as Manager:**
- Weekly 1-on-1 coaching sessions
- [Executive coach or mentor assignment]
- [Specific leadership training/courses]
- [360 feedback at 30 and 60 days]
- [Books/resources to study]

**Team Support:**
- [Staff engineer to help with technical decisions]
- [TPM/PM to help with project management]
- [HR partner for people management coaching]

## 5. Success Metrics

**Quantitative:**
- Team velocity/delivery metrics
- 1-on-1 completion rate (100%)
- Sprint predictability
- Incident reduction
- Code review turnaround time

**Qualitative:**
- 360 feedback from team (anonymous)
- Stakeholder feedback from Product/Design
- Skip-level feedback from reports
- Peer manager feedback

**Leading Indicators (Weekly):**
- 1-on-1s held on time
- Team retro action items addressed
- Clear sprint goals communicated
- Technical decisions documented

## 6. Review & Feedback Cadence

**Weekly:**
- 1-hour coaching session with you
- Review of leading indicators
- Adjust support as needed

**Bi-Weekly:**
- 360 feedback pulse (3-4 questions)
- Team delivery review
- Stakeholder check-ins

**30/60/90 Days:**
- Formal performance review
- Comprehensive 360 feedback
- Decision point at each milestone

## 7. Team Communication

**What the team knows:**
- [Manager is working on specific improvements]
- [Additional support is in place]
- [Team feedback is valued and acted upon]

**What stays confidential:**
- PIP details and timeline
- Specific examples in this document
- Potential consequences

## 8. Consequences & Outcomes

**If Goals Are Met:**
- Continue as Engineering Manager
- [Possible transition to different team if better fit]
- Ongoing coaching and development

**If Insufficient Progress:**
- 30 days: Adjust support, continue plan
- 60 days: Consider role change (IC, PM, or exit)
- 90 days: Final decision point

**Throughout:**
- Honest, frequent communication
- No surprises at review points
- Focus on sustainable improvement

## 9. Action Items

**Immediate (This Week):**
- [ ] Schedule PIP kickoff meeting
- [ ] Assign executive coach
- [ ] Set up weekly 1-on-1s
- [ ] Communicate support plan to team (high-level)

**First 30 Days:**
- [ ] Complete leadership assessment
- [ ] Read [specific book/resource]
- [ ] Implement [specific process improvement]
- [ ] Collect first 360 feedback

**Tone Guidelines:**
- Respectful of manager's expertise and effort
- Clear about the seriousness of concerns
- Supportive while maintaining accountability
- Acknowledge systemic/organizational factors
- Focus on specific behaviors, not character

**Manager-Specific Considerations:**
- Impact on team morale (handle sensitively)
- Possible role change vs. exit (both are options)
- Longer timeline than IC PIPs (60-90 days typical)
- More coaching and support resources
- 360 feedback is critical
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Performance Improvement Plan for Engineering Manager

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