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Biweekly 1:1 ​

What this is for:

Every two weeks, we check in on your quarterly goals. Are you on track? What's blocking you? What do you need from me?

This is accountability, not reporting. The goal isn't to impress me with how busy you were. It's to be honest about what's working, what's not, and what needs to change. If you're behind, say why. If you're blocked, say what you need. If a goal no longer makes sense, say that too.

Fill this out before our meeting. Keep it short - this should take 10 minutes max.

Date: [Date] Person:

Progress on Quarterly Goals ​

For each of your 3 quarterly goals, answer: are you on track to hit it?

Goal 1: [Copy your goal here]

  • Status: On track / At risk / Off track
  • What happened since last check-in: 1-2 sentences on concrete progress
  • Next milestone: What ships or happens in the next 2 weeks?

Goal 2: [Copy your goal here]

  • Status: On track / At risk / Off track
  • What happened since last check-in: 1-2 sentences on concrete progress
  • Next milestone: What ships or happens in the next 2 weeks?

Goal 3: [Copy your goal here]

  • Status: On track / At risk / Off track
  • What happened since last check-in: 1-2 sentences on concrete progress
  • Next milestone: What ships or happens in the next 2 weeks?

Blocks ​

What's stopping you from hitting your goals? Be specific. "Not enough time" is not a block. "Waiting on design mocks for 2 weeks" is a block.

  1. Block: What's stuck?

    • Why: Root cause - what needs to happen to unblock this?
    • Need from you: What can I do to help?

  2. Block: What's stuck?

    • Why: Root cause - what needs to happen to unblock this?
    • Need from you: What can I do to help?

If no blocks, write "None."

Topic (Optional) ​

Anything else we should discuss? Career stuff, team issues, process problems, feedback - whatever's on your mind.

Example: On Track ​

Date: May 15, 2024 Person: Alex Chen

Progress on Quarterly Goals ​

Goal 1: Ship payments v2 by end of Q2

  • Status: On track
  • What happened: Completed Stripe migration, running parallel processing with old system. Zero errors in 1000+ test transactions.
  • Next milestone: Full cutover to new system by May 28

Goal 2: Reduce API latency to sub-200ms p95

  • Status: On track
  • What happened: Database query optimization done, p95 down from 800ms to 400ms. Redis caching layer in review.
  • Next milestone: Redis deployed to staging by May 22, production by May 29

Goal 3: Build team from 3 to 5 engineers

  • Status: At risk
  • What happened: 1 offer accepted (starts June 3). 2nd candidate in final round. 3rd role still interviewing.
  • Next milestone: Close 2nd candidate by May 20, start 3rd candidate pipeline

Blocks ​

  1. Block: Redis infrastructure budget not approved yet
    • Why: Need finance sign-off on $5K/month recurring cost
    • Need from you: Push finance to approve by end of week, or latency goal slips

If no other blocks, write "None."

Topic ​

None.

Example: Off Track ​

Date: August 10, 2024 Person: Jamie Rodriguez

Progress on Quarterly Goals ​

Goal 1: Ship user notification system end-to-end without pair programming

  • Status: Off track
  • What happened: Tech spec took 3 weeks instead of 2. Still in review, haven't started building yet.
  • Next milestone: Get spec approved this week, start backend next week

Goal 2: Reduce my PR revision cycles from 4+ rounds to 1-2 rounds

  • Status: On track
  • What happened: Last 5 PRs averaged 2.2 rounds. Using checklist before every review. Getting better.
  • Next milestone: Maintain <2 rounds average over next 10 PRs

Goal 3: Debug production issues without escalating to senior engineers

  • Status: On track
  • What happened: Shadowed Sarah on 2 incidents, documented runbooks for both. Learning the patterns.
  • Next milestone: Shadow 1 more incident, then take on-call with backup

Blocks ​

  1. Block: Tech spec stuck in review for 1 week

    • Why: Sarah hasn't had time to review it, says she's underwater with payments launch
    • Need from you: Either get Sarah time to review, or assign someone else. Spec is blocking everything.

  2. Block: Not clear if my notification system goal is realistic anymore

    • Why: Tech spec feedback shows this is more complex than I thought - might need pair programming after all
    • Need from you: Should we adjust the goal to "ship with minimal pair programming" instead of "no pair programming"? Want to be realistic.

Topic ​

Feeling behind on Goal 1 and not sure if I can catch up. Want to discuss whether to descope or push timeline.

How to use this template ​

If you're on track: Keep it simple. Status updates, next milestones, any blocks. Should take 5 minutes to fill out.

If you're off track: Be honest about why. Did priorities change? Did you underestimate? Is something blocking you? This is where we fix it, not where I judge you.

Status meanings:

  • On track: Will hit the goal by end of quarter at current pace
  • At risk: Might miss the goal unless something changes
  • Off track: Will definitely miss the goal unless we adjust scope, timeline, or resources

Blocks are not excuses. They're problems to solve together. The more specific you are about what's stuck and why, the faster we can unblock it.

Topics are optional. If you have something on your mind, write it down. If not, skip it. This section is for anything that doesn't fit in the structure above.