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How do you manage?
A critical bug takes down production. What is your first instinct?
*
A
Jump directly into the logs, terminal, or code to help the team debug it.
B
Open the incident management protocol and ensure the runbook is being followed step-by-step.
C
Check in with the on-call engineer to see if they are overwhelmed and need a backup or a coffee.
D
Take charge of communications, assign specific debugging roles, and push for a rapid fix.
You need to introduce a major change to the team's workflow. How do you roll it out?
*
A
Build a quick script or tool to automate the annoying parts of the new workflow so the team likes it.
B
Draft a comprehensive document detailing the new process, how it will be measured, and the rollout timeline.
C
Hold a team sync to gather input, address their concerns, and build consensus before finalizing anything.
D
Announce the change directly, explain the business value, and set a hard launch date.
When you look at your notes for your 1:1 meetings with engineers, you usually spend the most time discussing:
*
A
Deep-diving into specific technical blockers or brainstorming system architecture.
B
Reviewing sprint metrics, OKR progress, and making sure Jira tickets are up to date.
C
Their career growth, their current stress levels, and how they feel about the team dynamics.
D
Rapidly unblocking their immediate tasks and aligning on this week's key deliverables.
Two senior engineers are aggressively arguing over a system architecture decision. How do you resolve it?
*
A
Review the technical merits of both sides yourself and make the final engineering call.
B
Ask them to fill out a standardized "Request for Comments" (RFC) doc to compare objective pros and cons.
C
Mediate a discussion focused on active listening until they reach a mutual compromise.
D
Give them a strict 24-hour deadline to decide, or tell them you will make the call to prevent project delays.
An engineer on your team is consistently missing their deadlines. What is your first step?
*
A
Schedule a pair-programming session with them to personally identify their technical gaps.
B
Put them on a structured performance plan with clear, trackable, weekly KPIs.
C
Have a private, empathetic chat to uncover any personal struggles or signs of burnout.
D
Give them blunt, direct feedback immediately and set a firm deadline for a turnaround.
When planning goals for the next quarter, your primary focus as a leader is:
*
A
Ensuring technical debt reduction and legacy system upgrades get significant bandwidth.
B
Carefully calculating team velocity and capacity to ensure the spreadsheet is perfectly balanced.
C
Making sure the upcoming projects align with what your team members actually want to learn.
D
Setting aggressive, high-impact business targets to drive competitive delivery.
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