Template for 1-on-1s
Template for 1-on-1s
Even though 1-on-1s are expected by the Engineering Manager, it's healthy for a Tech Lead to have 1-on-1s with their team as well, in order to address more technical topics.
In today’s issue, I want to share with you a resource, a template for driving 1-on-1s with your team members.
After trying several templates for the 1-on-1s with my teams during the past 5 years, I've been able to compile the one that I use nowadays.
You should use 1 file like this per team member.
A recommendation from my side is that you share, in advance, the next 1-on-1 file with your team member, and encourage her/him to include the topics to treat in advance too, so you can take a look and prepare what you could need before the meeting, making it more efficient for both parts.
What I like about this template is that:
You can follow up on previous conversations and action items.
Leave space for the team member to add the topic from her/his side.
Your topics will be visible to your engineer as well, empowering transparency.
Last but not least, apart from creating notes for the ongoing session, you will be able to add new action items.
One highlight you will notice is that, in both blocks for action items (past and new ones) I put the “owner” and the “due date” to have the outcome. In my opinion, it’s important to set the right expectations, also in the action items from a 1-on-1 meeting, so then the follow-up will be smoother.
Links to the template:
Hope you find it useful and I would love to hear your feedback about it. Put it in the comments or just reply to the email!