IEI, RTTA, and a Bit of Technical Humor
Sometimes engineers, executives, and management need to cut back, other times they need to relax and others they just need that right framework to get done for their weekend.
Welcome to Weekend Warriors: a place for good fun, useful lessons, personal frameworks, odd takes, and the occasional questionable thought. This series will pop up on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday as a quirky outtake from my usual, more serious (but still executive-style) content: executive leadership with an engineer’s flair.
Think executive leadership through an engineer’s mindset, with a few questionable thoughts along the way. We all know how the C-suite does it.
This week, I’m sharing two of my frameworks, IEI and RTTA. And yes, we’ll also roast me for not using enough engineering humor and for being too dry. Ready? Set. Go.
IEI: Investigate, Evaluate, Implement
Engineers, how often do you get a directive you wish you could punt? Too often, right? Sometimes the problem is that you’re told to “do, don’t question.” This framework is a useful alternative—and managers may find it useful too. Don’t tell them I said that.
IEI is simple and can work in many situations:
- Investigate: What is causing the issue, and what outcome do you actually need?
- Evaluate: What needs to happen to get moving? Consider the return on investment, research and development costs, and likely headaches. Bring the team and management into the conversation so everyone understands the tradeoffs and agrees on the direction.
- Implement: Once the approach is clear, give engineers room to build. Managers should be available to unblock, approve, and assist—not micromanage or require constant synchronous check-ins. Engineers, build the plan, explain what you need from your manager, and keep them updated. Manage your manager’s needs and expectations.
RTTA: Read That Thing Again
How often does a plan look aligned, but you’re still unsure—and your manager is unsure too—so everyone has to go back and replan?
Maybe you want to post something but aren’t sure how it will land without the full context. You also don’t want to write a formal memo. RTTA is for that.
The biggest trick is doing what it says on the tin: write, use AI if it’s approved, relevant, and needed, tune the message, then stop and read it again. Think about how someone less technical—or not technical at all—might understand it.
Are the important points clear in plain language? Your manager may understand, but what about the client? The HR manager? The VP of Sales or another business leader? When you push back or explain a decision, don’t write only for people who already think like you. Make sure everyone who needs the message can follow it.
That skill separates many good engineers from great ones.
Roasting this CTO: Remember to recharge
How often do I sit at my computer, look out the window, and think, “I really want to be out there, but I’ve got to write this”?
The truth is, I don’t have to write it right then—and I usually do this on the weekend. I need to schedule some R&R outside with my wife and dog, and make time to relax.
When you don’t relax, you can get stiff, worn down, and more likely to burn out or send an unnecessarily aggressive reply. Don’t be that person. Go fishing, read, cook, enjoy the weather, or play a game. Just turn off for a few hours each week.
In short: Investigate the problem before acting, evaluate the options with the people involved, implement with trust and clear updates, reread important messages for a broader audience, and make time to recharge.
