[chuckcode]

I really like the idea of "handoffs" that the article discusses It indirectly brings up what I see as a major problem for some of the most talented engineers I've worked with which is that some point they get too bogged down with the incremental features and maintenance on all the amazing stuff they've done in the past to work on new things. When it would take them a couple days to implement/fix X but weeks for someone else to come up to speed management just can't resist assigning it to them and eventually they become burnt out. Code reviews and mentoring can help this to reduce the time for new folks to spin up and contribute but I think a formal notion of handoffs is a really interesting idea.

Having been both an engineer and a manager, yes different tracks for different people are really helpful. The main thing I've learned is that different people want different rewards an there is no substitute for spending the time with people to figure out what sparks joy for them. Usually there is some baseline of money but often freedom, respect, and cool projects are just as important.