Code Quality

At Level 5, code quality isn’t just something you practice—it’s something you scale. You lead strategic efforts that redefine what good engineering looks like across the organization.

Key Behaviors

  • Shapes org-wide strategy for engineering quality and excellence
  • Leads cultural change that makes quality a core company value
  • Builds lasting systems (tools, education, defaults) that reinforce best practices
  • Aligns quality with product, security, and operational goals
  • Mentors leaders on balancing speed, scope, and sustainability

Common Struggles

  • Can struggle to measure impact on timelines or outcomes
  • May become removed from frontline quality issues
  • Risks proposing changes that exceed current culture or capacity

Success Indicators

You know you're successful when you:

  • Influence how engineering quality is defined, measured, and improved
  • Create frameworks and systems that last beyond your direct involvement
  • Balance quality initiatives with business priorities and developer experience
  • Make high standards feel natural, not burdensome

Mindset Shift

From:

I improve quality across teams.

To:

I change how our engineering culture thinks about quality.

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • What barriers prevent us from writing great code today?
  • Where do our systems encourage shortcuts over standards?
  • How do we know our quality investments are working?

Build These Habits

  • 1
    Launch programs that train quality leaders at every level
  • 2
    Create review frameworks and success criteria used org-wide
  • 3
    Use metrics and storytelling to show how quality supports delivery

Seek Feedback

  • What barriers prevent us from writing great code today?
  • Where do our systems encourage shortcuts over standards?
  • How do we know our quality investments are working?

Signals You're Ready to Level Up

  • Quality is a default, not a debate, across teams
  • You are consulted when the company rethinks platforms or tech strategy
  • Your principles show up in hiring, reviews, and product choices

Focus Summary

  • Define the bar.
  • Equip others to reach it.
  • Make quality systemic.

At Level 5, you’ve scaled your influence beyond any one repo, team, or tool. You make it possible for hundreds of engineers to move faster by writing better code.