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Will Larson

An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

by Will Larson (Author)

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#1 Best Seller in Engineering Project Management

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A human-centric guide to solving complex problems in engineering management, from sizing teams to handling technical debt.

There’s a saying that people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Management is a key part of any organization, yet the discipline is often self-taught and unstructured. Getting to the good solutions for complex management challenges can make the difference between fulfillment and frustration for teams—and, ultimately, between the success and failure of companies.

Will Larson’s An Elegant Puzzle focuses on the particular challenges of engineering management—from sizing teams to handling technical debt to performing succession planning—and provides a path to the good solutions. Drawing from his experience at Digg, Uber, and Stripe, Larson has developed a thoughtful approach to engineering management for leaders of all levels at companies of all sizes. An Elegant Puzzle balances structured principles and human-centric thinking to help any leader create more effective and rewarding organizations for engineers to thrive in.

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ISBN-10

1732265186
ISBN-13

978-1732265189
Publisher

Stripe Press
Publication date

May 20, 2019
Language

English
Dimensions

6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
Print length

288 pages

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From the Publisher

will larson, business culture, business growth, engineering management, management philosophy

'A masterful study of engineering management'

"An Elegant Puzzle is a masterful study of the challenges and demands of the discipline of engineering management viewed through the prism of systems thinking. Readers can expect an actionable template for addressing complex problems with finesse, creativity and fairness."

—Cindy Sridharan, Distributed Systems Engineer and author of Distributed Systems Observability

will larson, business culture, business growth, engineering management, management philosophy

'Captures the timeless spirit of creative problem-solving'

"Software engineering is evolving faster than ever before. What principles are durable in a time of so much change and what are the contemporary pain points that may change in the future but cannot be ignored today? In An Elegant Puzzle, Will Larson captures the timeless spirit of creative problem-solving that draws us to software engineering while also providing concrete strategies for modern organizations."

—Jeffrey Meyerson, Host of Software Engineering Daily

will larson, business culture, business growth, engineering management, management philosophy

'An Elegant Puzzle will become your favorite go-to resource'

"Engineering Managers can often feel like they are struggling to keep their head above the water. Our technical training is missing the frameworks and tools needed to build healthy and productive teams. The insights and step-by-step approach covered in An Elegant Puzzle will become your favorite go-to resource."

—Oren Ellenbogen, VP Engineering at Forter, Curator of Software Lead Weekly newsletter

About the author

Will Larson has been an engineering leader and software engineer at technology companies of many shapes and sizes, including Yahoo!, Digg, SocialCode, Uber, and, since 2016, Stripe.

He grew up in North Carolina, studied Computer Science at Centre College in Kentucky, spent a year in Japan for the JET Program teaching English, and has been living in San Francisco since 2009.

An Elegant Puzzle draws from the writing in his blog, Irrational Exuberance!, that he has been updating since graduating from college. It is currently, and will always be, a work in progress.

An introduction from Will Larson

Some people go into management out of a desire to be of service. Others become managers in a cynical pact, exchanging excitement in their current role for the prospect of continued salary bumps and promotions. There are even folks who initially go into management because they’re entirely fed up with their own manager and are convinced that they could do better.

I won’t say which of those, if any, describes me.

Regardless of what motivation first brings you into management, it can feel as if you’ve entered a troubled profession. Skilled practitioners are scarce, and only the exceptional company is willing to invest in growing its managers.

As I’ve become more experienced, my appreciation for management, and engineering management in particular, has grown, and I’ve come to view the field as a series of elegant, rewarding, and important puzzles. This book is a collection of those puzzles, which I’ve had the good fortune to struggle with and learn from.

If you finish the entire book, you won’t walk into your office the next day as a perfect manager (I remain grateful for the days I walk into the office feeling like a marginally competent one), but I hope that it’ll stimulate questions about how you’re approaching management, provide a few new approaches for you to experiment with, and help you take a few steps further down the path of engineering management.

stripe press, innovation, new ideas, business, creative management

About the publisher

Stripe Press publishes ideas for progress in science, technology, and economics. Our collection includes new ideas from emerging and established thinkers and industry leaders, as well as reimagined editions of enduring works. We curate our titles for a global audience of builders and practitioners who are shaping the future of policy and industry.

Stripe Press is based in South San Francisco, with team members across the US and in London. We are a part of the global payments infrastructure company Stripe.

Other titles by Stripe Press:

High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil
The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop
Stubborn Attachments by Tyler Cowen
Revolt of the Public by Martin Gurri

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Software engineering is evolving faster than ever before. What principles are durable in a time of so much change and what are the contemporary pain points that may change in the future but cannot be ignored today? In An Elegant Puzzle, Will Larson captures the timeless spirit of creative problem-solving that draws us to software engineering while also providing concrete strategies for modern organizations.” --Jeffrey Meyerson, Host of Software Engineering Daily

“An Elegant Puzzle is a masterful study of the challenges and demands of the discipline of engineering management viewed through the prism of systems thinking. Readers can expect an actionable template for addressing complex problems with finesse, creativity and fairness.” --Cindy Sridharan, Distributed Systems Engineer and author of Distributed Systems Observability

“Engineering Managers can often feel like they are struggling to keep their head above the water. Our technical training is missing the frameworks and tools needed to build healthy and productive teams. The insights and step-by-step approach covered in An Elegant Puzzle will become your favorite go-to resource.” --Oren Ellenbogen, VP Engineering at Forter, Curator of Software Lead Weekly newsletter

About the Author

Will Larson has been an engineering leader and software engineer at technology companies of many shapes and sizes, including Yahoo!, Digg, SocialCode, Uber, and Stripe. He grew up in North Carolina, studied computer science at Centre College in Kentucky, and spent a year in Japan teaching English through the JET Programme. An Elegant Puzzle draws from the writing in his blog, Irrational Exuberance!, which he has been updating since graduating from college. It is currently, and will always be, a work in progress. Larson lives in San Francisco.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stripe Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 20, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1732265186
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1732265189
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #25,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Engineering Project Management
- #3 in Technical Project Management (Books)
- #235 in Leadership & Motivation
Customer Reviews:
(1,385)

About the author

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Will Larson

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Will Larson has been an engineering leader and software engineer at technology companies of many shapes and sizes including Calm, Stripe, and Uber. He grew up in North Carolina, studied Computer Science at Centre College in Kentucky, spent a year in Japan on the JET Program teaching English, and has been living in San Francisco since 2009. He writes frequently on his blog, Irrational Exuberance, at lethain.com.

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Customer reviews

1,385 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers find the book to be a fantastic guide to engineering management, with one review noting its healthy dose of systems thinking. Moreover, the book serves as a great reference on all engineering management topics, and customers consider it a must-read for managers. However, the writing quality and authorship receive mixed reviews.

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30 customers mention content, 24 positive, 6 negative

Customers praise the book's content, describing it as an incredibly well done guide to engineering management and one of the best texts on organizational design and praxis, with one customer noting its healthy dose of systems thinking.

Insightful and practicalRead more

...Some great insights into how things are being run inside some of the biggest startups in SV. Highly Recommended....Read more

Great book - really insightful and helped me understand technical management as an ICRead more

This is not even a book on management. I felt this is a brain dump of the author with no flow or story telling....Read more

21 customers mention practicality, 21 positive, 0 negative

Customers find the book practical and comprehensive, serving as a great reference on all engineering management topics.

...over the last few years and this offers by far the most specific, practical, and actionable advice.Read more

Direct to the point and with simple and practical examples that guiding you through the book....Read more

...The information is practical and lot of reading references. This is a kind of book you will gift to other managers :)Read more

...Diagrams are a 80/20 mix of thought-provoking and instructive. Excellent effort, thanks!Read more

10 customers mention readability, 10 positive, 0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a must-read for managers, particularly software engineering ones, with one customer noting it is eye-opening for junior managers.

A fantastic read for all engineers, not just management types.Read more

...their knowledge on the ground, and it makes the book both an enjoyable read and imminently useful, even for those building, managing, and guiding...Read more

.../managerial position and looking to advance your career - this is a must read!...Read more

...Overall, I thought it was a good read.Read more

6 customers mention design, 5 positive, 1 negative

Customers appreciate the design of the book.

Love it. 5+ for the book design!Read more

This book has a nice cover and design....Read more

...Glad I pre ordered it! Also, the book binding is beautiful and very elegant! Thank you !Read more

I really like this book. An Elegant Puzzle really clicked for me especially the way it ties DevOps principles to broader team architecture....Read more

9 customers mention writing quality, 6 positive, 3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some finding it well written, while one customer notes it is written from the lens of IT/Engineering Management practices.

Well written, clear and crisp book....Read more

...too many expectations: most management books are usually either poorly written, either full of banalities, either too abstract....Read more

...Though it is written from the lens of IT/Engineering Management practices, the approaches, tools and strategies described can be applied in any part...Read more

...What I love most is that it’s written as someone who did the job and they consolidated all their best tips into this volume....Read more

6 customers mention authorship, 4 positive, 2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the authorship of the book.

He’s a very intelligent, passionate author and applies some important, practical opinions to engineering management. Good collection of blog posts.Read more

This is not even a book on management. I felt this is a brain dump of the author with no flow or story telling....Read more

I enjoyed the approach taken by the author, although I felt the author was a bit overly prescriptive at times....Read more

I am new to EM and needed a primer. I appreciate how the author just dives right in! Everything is explained concisely and often visually....Read more

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'A masterful study of engineering management'

'Captures the timeless spirit of creative problem-solving'

'An Elegant Puzzle will become your favorite go-to resource'

About the author

An introduction from Will Larson

About the publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

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Will Larson

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From the Publisher

'A masterful study of engineering management'

'Captures the timeless spirit of creative problem-solving'

'An Elegant Puzzle will become your favorite go-to resource'

About the author

An introduction from Will Larson

About the publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Product Videos

About the author

Will Larson

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