TPM University May Newsletter
In the thick of spring, I am a month closer to summer holidays, and taking a much needed break somewhere warm. Hopefully we are all chugging along with our programs, hounding engineering managers and engineers alike, looking for opportunities to automate and have teams self-serve. This month we have a fresh batch of articles from TPMU and around the industry. Enjoy…
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📰 News & Articles of Interest
- What is a Requirements Traceability Matrix?
- Understanding Prometheus Metrics: A Comprehensive Guide for SREs and DevOps Engineers
- Build and operate an effective architecture review board
- System Design Fundamentals: How to Build Scalable and High-Performance Systems
- Introduction to MongoDB | MongoDB Tutorial 2025
- Introducing sub-issues: Enhancing issue management on GitHub
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.
Read the rest of the article by going to https://tpmuniversity.com/escalation-protocols-when-why-and-how-to-escalate-effectively/. Subscribe to the free newsletter to get the articles hot off the press!
🎙️A new podcast is coming soon
I am excited to announce a new TPM University podcast coming out very soon. It will focus on practical tutorials and lessons pertinent to TPMs.
You can subscribe to the podcast from now to make sure you don’t miss the launch. Follow on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
… and something from the funny paper
Thanks to Comic Agile