The Evolution of Design Documentation in Engineering

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In today’s episode of The Pragmatic Engineer, I’m joined by Irina Stanescu, a seasoned engineer with over 14 years in software engineering and engineering leadership roles at tech companies like Google and Uber. Now an engineering leadership coach, Irina helps tech professionals build impactful careers, teaches a course on influence, and shares insights through her newsletter, The Caring Techie. In our conversation today, Irina shares her journey of rising through the ranks at Google and Uber. We dive into the following topics: 

• An inside look at Google’s unique working processes

• How to build credibility as a new engineer

• Tactical tips for getting promoted 

• The importance of having a career plan and guidance in designing one

• Having influence vs. influencing—and how to become more influential 

• Essential leadership skills to develop

• And so much more

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In this episode, we cover:

(01:34) Irina’s time at Google

(03:10) An overview of ‘design docs’ at Google

(08:27) The readiness review at Google

(10:40) Why Irina uses spreadsheets

(11:44) Irina’s favorite tools and how she uses them

(13:46) How Google certifies readability

(15:40) Google’s meme generator 

(17:36) Advice for engineers thinking about working for an organization like Google

(20:14) How promotions work at Google

(23:15) How Irina worked towards getting promoted 

(27:50) How Irina got her first mentor 

(30:44) Organizational shifts at Uber while Irina and Gergely were there

(35:50) Why you should prioritize growth over promotion

(36:50) What a career plan is and how to build one

(40:40) Irina’s current role coaching engineers 

(42:23) A simple explanation of influence and influencing 

(51:54) Why saying no is necessary at times

(54:30) The importance of building leadership skills

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The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode:

• Preparing for promotions ahead of time: https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/preparing-for-promotions 

• Engineering career paths at Big Tech and scaleups: https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/engineering-career-paths 

• Getting an Engineering Executive Job: https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/getting-an-engineering-executive 

• The Seniority Rollercoaster: https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/the-seniority-rollercoaster

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Where to find Irina Stanescu:

• X: https://x.com/thecaringtechie

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinastanescu/

• Website: https://www.thecaringtechie.com/

• Maven course: Impact through Influence in Engineering Teams: https://maven.com/irina-stanescu/influence-swe

Where to find Gergely:

• Newsletter: https://www.pragmaticengineer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mrgergelyorosz

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gergelyorosz/

• X: https://x.com/GergelyOrosz

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References and Transcripts:

See the transcript and other references from the episode at https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/podcast

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