Goals
Larson distinguishes between “investment” and “baseline” goals.
| Investment | Baseline | |
|---|---|---|
| Describes | a future state that you want to reach | aspects of the present you want to preserve |
| Example | In Q3, we will reduce time to render our frontpage from 600ms (p95) to 300ms (p95). In Q2, render time increased from 500ms to 600ms. | Core batch jobs should not increase alert load on teams operating or using the pipeline, which are currently alerting twice per week |
| Count | At most 3, to focus planning discussion | As many as needed |
(2019, 3.4)
The two tests of an effective goal are whether someone who doesn’t know much about an area can get a feel for a goal’s degree of difficulty, and whether afterward they can evaluate if it was successfully achieved. (2019, 3.4)
Larson, Will. 2019. An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management. Stripe Press.