Fog Creek Professional Ladder – Joel on Software

Fog Creek's professional ladder is a structured approach to career development that evaluates employees across three key dimensions: experience, scope of work, and skills. The ladder provides a transparent framework for determining career levels and base salaries, with advancement based on a holistic assessment of an individual's professional growth in software development, system administration, or quality assurance roles. By explicitly defining progression criteria, Fog Creek creates a clear path for professional advancement that goes beyond traditional job titles and focuses on an employee's comprehensive contributions and capabilities.