Write Down the Plan

Something engineers rarely do

Marc Andreessen (a16z’s billionaire founder) said in an interview: “One of the ways you find the up-and-comers at a tech company is by seeing who wrote down the plan.” (full clip here).

This stood out to me because it’s something simple that I started doing at the mid-level (IC4). Looking back, I realize my promotions were much smoother because I did this.

There are many benefits to writing down the plan and sharing it:

1. Improves your thinking - Writing forces your thoughts into a coherent, logical narrative. Condensing your writing gives you a deeper understanding. When I write down the plan, I often discover optimizations or edge cases I didn’t think of at first.

2. Builds alignment - The process of writing down a plan helps get others on the same page. As you write, you share drafts and address feedback until everyone agrees (previous writing on this topic).

3. Increases your visibility - Sharing the plan markets your work. Everyone sees your impactful plan and associates you with it. Performance conversations will be more smooth if people already know your work. Also, the stronger your internal brand, the more opportunities will come your way (here’s a concrete story showing how this happens).

These benefits are massive for something that takes so little time. It’s something all software engineers should do, yet many don’t. Looking back, this was one of my unfair advantages. I am lucky because I actually enjoy writing. I have had many more opportunities throughout my career because of this habit.

This unfair advantage can be yours too. Next planning season, write down the plan and share it.

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Thanks for reading,
Ryan Peterman