A curated list of tools, templates, books, newsletters, podcasts, and resources
for engineering managers and tech leaders.
Whether you're a senior engineer preparing for your first management role
or a seasoned EM looking to level up, this list has something for you.
Featured: AI Interview Coach · 50+ Notion Templates for EMs · The EM's Field Guide · Blog for Engineering Managers
- Interactive Tools
- Templates & Frameworks
- Books
- Newsletters
- Podcasts
- Blogs & Writing
- Courses & Learning
- Interview Prep
- Communities
- Conferences
- Contributing
- Engineering Manager ROI Calculator - Calculate the business impact of engineering initiatives to build better cases for resourcing.
- Prioritization Framework - Interactive RICE scoring tool for prioritizing your backlog.
- Focus Time Calculator - Estimate how much deep work time your team actually has after meetings.
- Database Selector Tool - Compare databases side-by-side based on your requirements.
- System Design Scenario Generator - Generate realistic system design scenarios for interviews and team exercises.
- Engineering Manager vs Tech Lead Quiz - Not sure which path is right for you? This quiz helps you think through it.
- Jellyfish - Engineering management analytics platform.
- Pluralsight Flow - Engineering analytics for team leads.
- Swarmia - Engineering effectiveness platform with DORA metrics.
- 50+ Engineering Manager Notion Templates - Templates for 1:1s, performance reviews, team charters, sprint retros, OKRs, hiring scorecards, onboarding plans, and more.
- Notion Engineering Wiki Template - Notion's official engineering wiki template.
- Engineering Team Hub - Notion's engineering template gallery.
- DORA Metrics - The four key metrics for measuring engineering team performance.
- Team Topologies - Framework for organizing business and technology teams.
- Westrum Organizational Culture - Google's research on high-performing team cultures.
- The Spotify Model - Squads, tribes, chapters, and guilds.
- Shape Up - Basecamp's product development methodology.
- Engineering Ladders - Framework for engineering career ladders and competency matrices.
- progression.fyi - Collection of publicly available engineering career frameworks from real companies.
- The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier - The definitive guide to engineering management, from tech lead to CTO.
- An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson - Systems of engineering management.
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott - Care personally, challenge directly.
- The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo - What to do when everyone looks to you.
- High Output Management by Andy Grove - The classic on management leverage.
- Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet - Intent-based leadership.
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni - Understanding team dynamics.
- No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings & Erin Meyer - Netflix's culture of freedom and responsibility.
- Staff Engineer by Will Larson - Leadership beyond the management track.
- The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim - DevOps principles in novel form.
- Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble & Gene Kim - The science behind DevOps and high performance.
- Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows - Essential for understanding complex engineering organizations.
- Who by Geoff Smart & Randy Street - The A Method for hiring.
- The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier - Seven essential coaching questions.
- Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen - The science and art of receiving feedback.
- Blog for Engineering Managers - Weekly practical advice for Engineering Managers covering 1:1s, performance reviews, team building, and the IC-to-manager transition.
- The Pragmatic Engineer by Gergely Orosz - Deep dives into engineering culture, career growth, and industry trends.
- Lenny's Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky - Product management and growth, highly relevant for EMs working closely with product.
- Engineering Leadership by Gregor Ojstersek - Practical engineering leadership insights.
- The Engineering Manager by James Stanier - Weekly tips on engineering management.
- LeadDev - Engineering leadership articles, talks, and community.
- Software Lead Weekly - Curated links for busy engineering leaders.
- Level Up by Pat Kua - Leadership tips for tech leads and engineering managers.
- TLDR - Daily tech newsletter (not EM-specific, but great for staying current).
- Engineering Enablement - Developer experience and engineering effectiveness.
- Soft Skills Engineering - Weekly advice on non-technical challenges in tech.
- The Changelog - Conversations with the hackers, leaders, and innovators of open source.
- Software Engineering Daily - Technical interviews on architecture, infrastructure, and more.
- Blog for Engineering Managers - Weekly practical advice for EMs covering 1:1s, performance reviews, team building, and the IC-to-manager transition.
- Will Larson's Blog - Deep writing on engineering management, systems thinking, and organizational design.
- Charity Majors' Blog - Observability, engineering culture, and management.
- StaffEng - Stories and guides for staff-plus engineers.
- The Rands in Repose by Michael Lopp - Classic engineering management writing.
- Joel on Software by Joel Spolsky - Timeless essays on software, teams, and business.
- Paul Graham's Essays - Startups, programming, and thinking clearly.
- Dan Luu - Quantitative analysis of engineering and tech industry topics.
- Julia Evans - Making complex technical topics approachable (great for coaching your reports).
- Jacob Kaplan-Moss - Engineering management and leadership.
- The EM's Field Guide - Practical ebook covering the core skills every engineering manager needs, from running 1:1s to navigating reorgs.
- Reforge - Growth, product, and leadership programs used by top tech companies.
- Maven - Cohort-based courses including several on engineering leadership.
- O'Reilly Learning - Extensive library of tech and management content.
- LeadDev Together - Peer group learning for engineering managers.
- Plato - Mentorship platform connecting engineering leaders.
- AI Interview Coach for Engineering Managers - AI-powered voice practice for EM behavioral interviews. Gives real-time feedback on STAR responses.
- Get Hired as an Engineering Manager - Complete interview prep bundle with question banks, answer frameworks, and strategies.
- Exponent - Mock interviews and courses for PM and engineering roles.
- IGotAnOffer - Interview coaching and practice.
- Hello Interview - System design and coding interview prep.
- Behavioral Interview Questions for EMs - Part of the broader Tech Interview Handbook.
- Rands Leadership Slack - 20,000+ engineering leaders. One of the most active communities for EMs.
- LeadDev Community - Articles, talks, and events for engineering leaders.
- Engineering Managers Slack - Slack community focused on EM challenges.
- CTO Craft - Community and events for CTOs and engineering leaders.
- Hacker News - Not EM-specific, but essential reading for staying connected to what engineers care about.
- LeadDev - The premier conference for engineering leaders. Events in NYC, London, Berlin, and online.
- WeAreDevelopers - Europe's largest dev conference with strong leadership tracks.
- QCon - Software development conferences with management tracks.
- CTO Craft Con - Conference focused on engineering leadership.
- DevOpsDays - Community-organized conferences worldwide with strong leadership content.
- StaffPlus - By LeadDev, focused on staff+ engineers and technical leaders.
This list is released under CC0. You can copy, modify, and distribute it, even for commercial purposes, without asking permission.