Roles · Desktop Developer (.NET WPF/WinUI/MAUI) · Principal

What a Principal } should know

38 core skills, 53 in total. Expectations per skill, and what changes at the next level.

This page lists what a Principal } is expected to know and do, skill by skill. Core skills are the ones a manager and peers assess in a review cycle; the rest count only in self-assessment. Main areas: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Frontend Development.

38core skills
15additional skills
13skill areas
100%at Advanced or Expert
Assess myself as Principal Full role matrix

Core skills for a Principal

Grouped by area. The label on the right is the expected depth: Awareness, Working, Advanced or Expert.

Programming Fundamentals · 11

Shapes algorithmic standards for .NET desktop organization. Evaluates .NET runtime optimizations (JIT, PGO). Defines performance architecture.

Shapes enterprise async standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates async evolution in .NET (task groups, structured concurrency). Defines async architecture for the organization.

Shapes enterprise code quality standards for .NET desktop. Defines best practices at organizational level. Coordinates quality across teams.

Shapes enterprise data handling standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates new collection types (.NET 9+). Defines data architecture for the organization.

Shapes pattern catalog for .NET desktop organization. Adapts patterns for WPF/WinUI/MAUI. Publishes best practices on architectural patterns.

Shapes enterprise generics standards for .NET. Evaluates new generic features (roles, shapes). Defines balance between generics and concrete types.

Shapes enterprise memory standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates .NET runtime memory improvements. Defines memory architecture for the organization.

Shapes enterprise memory profiling standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates profiling tools (dotMemory, PerfView, VS). Defines memory requirements for the organization.

Shapes enterprise concurrency standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates .NET threading model evolution (green threads). Defines parallelism strategy for the organization.

Shapes OOP standards for .NET desktop organization. Defines balance between OOP, FP (LINQ, pattern matching) and data-oriented design. Consults architects.

Shapes enterprise type safety standards for .NET. Evaluates new type safety features (C# 13+). Defines balance between type safety and pragmatism.

Backend Development · 1

ASP.NET Core Expert

Shapes enterprise .NET strategy for desktop. Evaluates .NET roadmap (MAUI, Blazor Hybrid, AOT). Defines .NET adoption strategy for the organization.

Frontend Development · 1

Shapes enterprise component testing standards. Evaluates testing approaches for WPF/WinUI/MAUI. Defines component quality model for the organization.

Database Management · 2

Shapes enterprise indexing standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates database optimization strategies. Defines performance requirements.

PostgreSQL Expert

Shapes enterprise database strategy for .NET desktop. Evaluates EF Core vs Dapper vs raw Npgsql. Defines data architecture.

API & Integration · 1

Shapes enterprise API client standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates API patterns (REST, gRPC, GraphQL). Defines API strategy for the organization.

DevOps & CI/CD · 1

Shapes enterprise CI/CD standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates CI platforms. Defines build infrastructure.

Testing & QA · 3

E2E Testing Expert

Shapes enterprise E2E standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates E2E tools and frameworks. Defines QA process for the organization.

Shapes enterprise integration testing standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates test infrastructure solutions. Defines testing maturity model.

Unit Testing Expert

Shapes enterprise testing standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates testing frameworks and methodologies. Defines testing maturity model.

Security · 2

Shapes enterprise security standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates compliance (SOC2, HIPAA). Defines secure SDLC for the organization.

Shapes enterprise secure coding standards for .NET. Evaluates .NET security features. Defines secure development lifecycle for the organization.

AI-Assisted Development · 2

Shapes enterprise LLM strategy for .NET desktop. Evaluates enterprise LLM platforms. Defines AI governance.

Shapes enterprise AI coding strategy for .NET desktop. Evaluates Copilot Enterprise. Defines governance for AI-generated code.

Observability & Monitoring · 1

Shapes enterprise observability standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates logging platforms. Defines data retention policies.

Version Control & Collaboration · 2

Code Review Expert

Shapes enterprise code review standards for .NET desktop. Defines review culture. Coordinates cross-team reviews.

Git Advanced Expert

Shapes enterprise Git strategy for .NET desktop. Evaluates monorepo vs polyrepo. Defines Git governance for the organization.

Desktop Development · 8

Shapes enterprise update strategy for .NET desktop. Designs centralized update infrastructure with SCCM/Intune integration. Evaluates Windows App SDK update capabilities.

Avalonia UI Expert

Shapes cross-platform .NET desktop strategy for the organization. Evaluates Avalonia ecosystem and roadmap. Contributes to Avalonia community.

Shapes enterprise packaging standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates deployment technologies (MSIX, ClickOnce, WiX, Squirrel). Designs scalable distribution infrastructure.

Shapes enterprise IPC standards for .NET desktop. Designs scalable IPC infrastructure. Evaluates new approaches (.NET Channels, StreamJsonRpc).

MVVM Pattern Expert

Shapes UI architecture standards for .NET desktop organization. Evaluates MVVM vs MVU (Comet/Fabulous) for different projects. Defines enterprise UI patterns.

Shapes enterprise offline-first strategy for .NET desktop. Evaluates sync engines (Microsoft Sync Framework, CRDT). Designs scalable sync infrastructure.

Shapes enterprise plugin ecosystem for .NET desktop. Designs plugin SDK and marketplace. Defines monetization and partner program.

Defines .NET desktop UI strategy at organizational level. Evaluates WPF/WinUI 3/MAUI for enterprise scenarios. Shapes enterprise UI framework and design system.

Performance Engineering · 3

CPU Profiling Expert

Shapes enterprise CPU profiling standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates .NET runtime optimizations. Defines performance architecture.

Shapes enterprise latency standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates NativeAOT and ahead-of-time compilation. Defines latency architecture.

Shapes enterprise memory performance standards for .NET desktop. Evaluates .NET GC improvements. Defines memory architecture.

Additional skills

Not assessed by the team, but part of the self-assessment and the development plan.

API DocumentationAWSCursor IDEDockerGraphQL DesignJWT / OAuth2 / OIDCKubernetes CoreNetwork FundamentalsOpenTelemetryPrometheus & GrafanaPrompt Engineering for CodeRedisSLI / SLO / SLASystem Design FundamentalsTerraform
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} in the open competency matrix: 53 skills across 5 levels. The matrix is free for individuals and stays free.