Select your current position
Pick a role and level — we'll show the growth path, skills and gap analysis.
Development path
Junior
0-2 years
Responsibility: Completing tasks under the guidance of senior colleagues. Learning the codebase, standards, and team processes. Writing code to spec, fixing simple bugs, writing tests.
Key skills:
Middle
2-5 years
Responsibility: Independently developing features from decomposition to deployment. Participating in code review. Optimizing performance. Mentoring junior developers. Taking part in architecture discussions.
Key skills:
Senior
5-8 years
Responsibility: Designing the architecture of components and services. Solving complex technical problems. Managing technical debt. Code review as a quality gatekeeper. Mentoring middle developers. Choosing technologies for new tasks.
Key skills:
Lead / Staff
7-12 years
Responsibility: Technical leadership of a team or area. Designing system architecture. Coordinating with other teams. Establishing standards and best practices. Participating in hiring. Planning the technical roadmap.
Key skills:
Principal
10+ years
Responsibility: Technical strategy at the company or domain level. Cross-organizational influence. Solving systemic business problems through technology. Mentoring lead engineers. Publicly representing the company.
Key skills:
Gap analysis: skills to develop
To reach the next level you'll need to develop:
Independently designs A/B tests: determines sample size, duration, and metrics. Works with tools (Optimizely, Google Optimize, VWO). Analyzes results considering statistical significance.
Prioritizes backlog using frameworks (RICE, WSJF, MoSCoW). Decomposes epics into stories, balances tech debt and feature work. Manages multiple backlogs in parallel.
Integrates AI assistants into the product workflow: research synthesis, PRD drafting, data analysis. Creates effective prompts for product-specific tasks.
Analyzes delivery metrics to optimize processes. Identifies bottlenecks through lead time analysis. Uses metrics for planning and forecasting.
Manages dependencies between teams. Proactively identifies risks. Creates dependency resolution plans.
Creates comprehensive visualizations: service blueprints, system maps, impact maps. Uses diagrams for stakeholder communication.
Conducts estimation sessions with the team. Uses reference-based estimation and historical data. Creates delivery forecasts accounting for uncertainty.
Independently designs and analyzes product funnels. Conducts cohort analysis, segments users by behavior. Formulates data-driven conversion improvement hypotheses.
Uses Git for working with product documentation (docs-as-code). Understands the team's branching strategy. Can create PRs with documentation.
Assesses the impact of AI coding tools on team productivity and delivery. Makes tooling budget decisions for the team. Factors AI-assisted development into planning.
Develops GTM plans for feature and product launches. Coordinates cross-functional teams (marketing, sales, support). Defines pricing strategy for new offerings.
Designs experiments for hypothesis validation. Selects the appropriate method: A/B test, fake door test, Wizard of Oz, landing page test. Analyzes results and makes decisions.
Conducts JTBD interviews, creates job maps. Uses JTBD for feature prioritization (outcome-driven innovation). Builds an opportunity landscape based on unmet needs.
Optimizes the Kanban process for the team. Analyzes CFD (cumulative flow diagram) and cycle time. Defines policies for each workflow stage.
Builds the knowledge base structure for the product. Defines information architecture. Ensures knowledge accessibility for the team.
Conducts comprehensive market research: TAM/SAM/SOM, competitive landscape, market trends. Uses data to justify product decisions. Monitors the market on a regular basis.
Formulates OKRs for the product team. Defines leading and lagging indicators. Builds a product KPI monitoring system. Conducts OKR reviews and retrospectives.
Conducts retrospectives and facilitates improvement discussions. Implements process improvements. Measures the impact of changes through metrics.
Designs analytics architecture for the product. Creates complex funnels, cohort analyses, and retention curves. Uses SQL for custom queries against raw data.
Independently creates and maintains the product roadmap. Balances short-term and long-term initiatives. Communicates the roadmap to different audiences (tech team, business, executives).
Formulates product vision for their product, connecting it to business goals. Uses vision for feature prioritization and product decisions. Communicates vision to stakeholders.
Creates complex prompts for product workflows: research synthesis, competitive analysis, PRD drafting. Applies chain-of-thought and role-based prompting.
Independently plans releases: scope, timeline, dependencies, risks. Coordinates releases with dev, QA, marketing, and support. Manages release communications.
Plans resources for delivery: defines staffing needs, balances workload. Manages contractor/outsource resources.
Conducts risk assessment for product decisions. Applies pre-mortem analysis. Defines mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
Acts as Product Owner. Defines sprint goals, prioritizes backlog, makes scope decisions. Works closely with Scrum Master to improve processes.
Builds relationships with key stakeholders. Manages conflicting requests. Conducts stakeholder mapping (power/interest grid). Presents product updates at review meetings.
Defines requirements for user documentation. Coordinates tech writers. Ensures documentation coverage for all features.
Independently plans and conducts research: selects methods, recruits respondents, analyzes results. Uses the JTBD framework for needs analysis. Synthesizes insights into actionable recommendations.
Independently conducts story mapping sessions with the team. Defines MVP through release slices. Uses story maps as a product scope communication tool.
Defines API requirements from the product perspective. Reviews API design. Ensures API documentation quality for developer experience.
Understands trade-offs of architectural decisions and their impact on the product. Participates in technical discussions. Considers technical constraints in product decisions.