An Elegant Puzzle

Systems of Engineering Management

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 …

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

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.

1 edition

hardcover, 288 pages

Published May 20, 2019 by Stripe Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-7322651-8-9
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Reviews

ꞙ𝓲𝕟𝕚𝓉ᶌ reviewed An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson

Broad look at good engineering management practices

5 stars

I ended up writing three blog posts about this book, which means I must have liked it.

Mąstanti Mėsa reviewed An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson

If you don't know what to do - just read this book.

5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a helpful resource on systems engineering and management. The book offers a clear and concise overview of systems engineering and management principles, and provides helpful real-world examples to illustrate key concepts. This book would be a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about these topics.

dozens reviewed An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson

Review of 'An Elegant Puzzle' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Summary ##

Encyclopedic breadth of content, diving deeply into nothing.

## Why I picked it up ##

My bookclub wanted to read it.

## What I liked ##

Holy moly this is beautiful book. The binding, the print, the everything. I haven't been this much in love with the physical form of a book since... hmmm, since I found that copy of Moby Dick with the leather binding and the gilded edges.

## What I didn't like ##

One of those books that is a printed out series of blog posts. You can literally find the full text of the book online by browsing through the author's site.

This book does better at this than most: the blog posts are coherent and easily organized into groups and chapters. But I can't help but wonder whether the book's lack of depth comes directly from this method of book writing.