Tell Me About a Time You Decided Where the Company Should Not Invest Engineering Effort
Behavioral and LeadershipStrategic ThinkingAsked atPrincipalUpdated
They're checking whether you can set strategy by deciding what to leave out, and hold that line when the request comes back. Strong answers name the area, the reasoning, who it disappointed, and what the focus bought.
Rubric by Level
Junior
- Names a task or idea you chose to leave out of your work, with a reason.
- Raised it with your lead so the choice was visible.
- Shows the time went to something more important.
Mid
- Recommended your team skip a feature or a cleanup, with the reasoning.
- Wrote the decision down so it stopped coming back.
- Names what the team did with the time.
Senior
- Kept your team out of an area, like a custom tool or an edge-case market, with clear reasoning.
- Handled the stakeholders who wanted it.
- Shows what the focus delivered.
Principal
- Decided the company would stay out of an area, like a product line, a platform, or a market segment.
- Made it explicit and visible, so teams stopped spending time on it.
- Handled the executives, sales leaders, and customers who wanted it.
- Revisited the call on a schedule and can say what would reverse it.
Red Flags
- The area faded through neglect, with no explicit decision.
- Can't name anyone the decision disappointed.
- Never revisited the decision.
Follow-Ups to Expect
- Who pushed hardest to reopen it, and what did you tell them?
- What would make you reverse it?
A Story Shape That Holds Up
The Temptation
The area, and why people wanted the company in it.
The Reasoning
Why the company was better off staying out.
Holding the Line
Who pushed back and how you held the decision.
What Focus Bought
Where the capacity went and what it delivered.