Escalation Protocols When, Why, and How to Escalate Effectively

Mastering the lost art of raising the flag before your program sinks

Escalations often get a bad rap. They’re seen as a last resort, a sign of dysfunction, or worse—a way to pass blame, but it is all in the intent. When used appropriately, it can be one of the most effective tools in a TPM’s arsenal, but when used poorly, a blunt object. You should think of escalations as not about drama or conflict but momentum.

I will attempt to demystify the art of escalations in this post, breaking down when to escalate and why it matters. Most importantly, how can you escalate with clarity and confidence, without setting your relationships ablaze.

Step One, Don’t think of Escalating as a Dirty Word!

A bit of a mind reset here, so let’s press the reset button. Escalation is not a red button you hit when things blow up- it is a thoughtful structured process to expeditiously surface blockers that can’t be solved at your level of influence.

Technical Program Managers operate in systems of interconnected dependencies, priorities that pivot, and shared (and unclear) boundaries of accountability. You may be operating with a counterpart TPM from another team or org on the same project, and despite best efforts, progress stalls. You hit a wall, perhaps because of a resource constraint, misalignment in priorities, or decision paralysis. Escalation isn’t about blame, it’s about rapidly unblocking while protecting outcomes. I like to think of it as calling in air support on the battlefield.

At Amazon I would escalate quickly in order to ensure both sides get alignment, it helps provide guidance for both sides of the project.

So When Do You Escalate: Recognizing the Signals

Escalations are an intentional tool, not a reactive tool. The distinction here makes the intent. You don’t escalate at every risk, but you don’t wait until the hour before launch to escalate. So when do you escalate? There are some signs to look for that I thought I’d list from my experiences:

• Repeatedly missing deliverables: If an engineer is getting pulled into something else constantly, it is a sign that your project isn’t prioritized the way it should but you are not told that explicitly.
• Key stakeholder is unresponsive or misaligned: If the stakeholder is not responding to you, it may either be that they are not an active participant but it may also end up being that they may end up pulling the rug from underneath you at inopportune time.
• Conflicting priorities across teams. You will see signals of that through hearing on the grapevine other projects come up, or incidents they have to deal with.

Seeing these signals, you can try to remediate yourself but if you’ve exhausted direct resolution attempts, it is time to escalate.

Why We Escalate: Purpose Over Panic

You escalate to preserve momentum in your program alignment. Rather than use it to vent frustration or finger point, your escalation should serve a clear and intentional purpose of:

• Unlock decision-making;
• Align conflicting priorities;
• Assign clear ownership;
• Mitigate risks;
• Protect the delivery timeline or customer experience.

Approach escalation with a cool, data-driven fact-based mindset and tone. Escalate to expedite.

How to Escalate in 3 Steps

The following is my rule of thumb (makeshift framework) for escalation:

• Exhaust Direct Channels. Obvious but make an effort to resolve directly with the engineer or engineering manager. You can do it one-on-one or in a team meeting where you can have other SMEs weigh in, if it is a technical block. But don’t spend too long in this step before moving on to the next one. Escalation is more credible when it’s preceded by real effort.
• Documentation is Key. Self-describing, but when escalating, capture concisely the issue, why it matters, what have you tried, and what is needed to resolve it, along with options. You put that in a succinct document and leaders will appreciate it. Having worked at Amazon, I employed their concise writing style to produce a narrative where every word counts. Writing less is saying more!
• Choose where to Escalate. The channel of escalation is also an important factor to consider, with each of them having different levels of intent and intensity, in order of: Slack or Microsoft Teams for a low-stakes heads-up, email for a formal, detailed and tracked discussion, and meetings with leadership. I would start with the lowest and work my way up to the highest.

When to Choose a Path

So now, when do you choose which path of escalation. Firstly, not every escalation needs to be a formal email or meeting with their managers, so it depends on the level of urgency and impact.

Escalation doesn’t need a spotlight, it needs traction!

After the Escalation

So now you’ve escalated, what next? The real work begins here, so make sure you follow through by: • Tracking the resolution progress; • Communicating outcomes to all impacted teams; • Documenting decisions in your program tracker (I use a weekly status report email as well); • Recognizing helpful collaborators—don’t blame (I put a highlight in my status report).

Escalation is a bridge, not a battlefield.

My Two Cents

Not a fun topic to talk about but escalation is a critical tool in a TPM’s tool belt. One of the most underrated soft skills, but a tactful negotiator will do good to demonstrate emotional intelligence and structured thinking in situations like these.

In short,

✅ Escalate when impact is real, not just when it is vapor;

🧠 Escalate with documentation, not frustration;

🤝 Escalate in collaboration, not in isolation.