An Elegant Puzzle
An Elegant Puzzle
Will Larson
Pages: VIEW[{pages}]
Maggie Kruse gifted me this book (2025-10-23)
A human-centric guide to solving complex problems in engineering management, from sizing teams to handling technical debt. There’s a saying that people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Management is a key part of any organization, yet the discipline is often self-taught and unstructured. Getting to the good solutions for complex management challenges can make the difference between fulfillment and frustration for teams—and, ultimately, between the success and failure of companies. Will Larson’s An Elegant Puzzle focuses on the particular challenges of engineering management—from sizing teams to handling technical debt to performing succession planning—and provides a path to the good solutions. Drawing from his experience at Digg, Uber, and Stripe, Larson has developed a thoughtful approach to engineering management for leaders of all levels at companies of all sizes. An Elegant Puzzle balances structured principles and human-centric thinking to help any leader create more effective and rewarding organizations for engineers to thrive in.
Notes
Note 2025-11-05-Wednesday
Time: 17:46 PM
- Documentation is key
- Limit damage over Gatekeeping
Managing rapid growth is more along the lines of stacking small wins than identifying silver bullets.
- Consistently identify areas of improvement for small wins.