# Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs): A Detailed EM Playbook Source: https://www.techinterview.org/post/3233475348/performance-improvement-plans-pips-em-playbook/ Updated: 2026-07-12 · techinterview.org The PIP (performance improvement plan) is one of the most consequential and most-mishandled tools an engineering manager has. Done well, it gives a struggling engineer a real chance to recover or a clean exit; done poorly, it becomes a paper-shuffle that everyone resents. This guide is a detailed playbook for the EM facing the question. ## When a PIP is the right tool A PIP is appropriate when: - The engineer is meaningfully below the bar for their level on observable, defined criteria - You have already had multiple direct conversations with documentation - The performance problem is a sustained pattern, not a single incident - The engineer has had reasonable time and support to demonstrate change - You and HR agree this is the right next step ## When a PIP is the wrong tool - Performance gap caused by your management failure (unclear expectations, no feedback) - Recent personal-life disruption with no time to recover - Mismatch problem where the role or team was wrong from the start - Discrimination concern: protected-class status correlates with the PIP decision - The engineer has not been told the problem is severe yet If any of these apply, address them first. PIPs administered without prior clear feedback are professional malpractice. ## Pre-PIP conversations Before the formal PIP, the engineer should have heard: - What the gap is, in concrete behavioral terms - Why it matters (impact on team, customers, or product) - What you need to see change - What support you will provide - That continued failure to improve will lead to formal action This is documented in your 1:1 notes. If you cannot point to two prior conversations like this, you are not yet at PIP stage. ## Writing the PIP The PIP document should include: - Specific behaviors that need to change, in observable terms - Concrete success criteria for each — what does "good" look like? - Timeline (typically 30–90 days; longer for technical-skill recovery) - Check-in cadence (usually weekly with you, biweekly with HR) - Resources and support being provided - Outcomes: what happens if the bar is met or missed Avoid vague phrases like "improve communication." Concrete: "Send written status update by EOD Tuesday on each project; respond to teammates' tags within 24 hours during business days." ## The PIP conversation - Schedule with HR present - Lead with the facts: what you have observed, why it falls short, what has not improved - Walk through the document together - Make sure the engineer understands the stakes - Acknowledge the difficulty; do not perform compassion - Give them time to ask questions - Do not negotiate the bar ## During the PIP - Weekly 1:1 focuses heavily on PIP progress - Document each meeting in writing immediately after - If they hit a milestone, name it explicitly - If they miss, name that explicitly too; no surprises at the end - Adjust scope if your initial criteria turn out to be unfair (rare; document the adjustment) - Do not promise outcomes you cannot deliver ## Possible outcomes - A successful PIP means the engineer met the bar; the PIP closes and you continue with normal management - A partial outcome is when the engineer made real progress but did not fully clear the bar; sometimes a second PIP cycle, sometimes a clean exit with severance - A failed PIP means the engineer did not improve; they exit the company, usually with severance per company policy - A voluntary exit is when the engineer chooses to leave during the PIP; treat it as a resignation Roughly 30–40% of PIPs end in successful completion at most companies; 60–70% end in exit. Numbers vary widely by org. ## The team-impact dimension - Other engineers usually know something is wrong; they do not know the details - You cannot share PIP status, but you can manage the team's perception of fairness - If the engineer exits, do not gossip; be brief and professional ("X has decided to leave; we wish them well") - Teammates who covered for the struggling engineer deserve recognition; surface their work ## Common EM failure modes - Issuing PIPs without sufficient prior feedback, so the engineer is genuinely surprised - Using PIPs to avoid difficult conversations earlier (PIPs should be the last step, not the first) - Vague success criteria that cannot be objectively evaluated - Inconsistent enforcement: one engineer PIPed for behavior another tolerated - Treating PIPs as paper exercises with predetermined outcomes - Failing to coordinate with HR, since process violations create legal risk ## If you are reading this because you are on a PIP Treat it seriously, work it in good faith, but also start a job search. Even successfully completed PIPs sometimes leave a residual mark. Your decision to leave on your own terms remains available throughout. ## What separates senior EMs from staff/director Senior EMs run good PIPs. Staff/director EMs prevent most PIPs by giving consistent feedback earlier, by hiring with greater rigor, and by addressing role-fit mismatches before they become performance issues. Avoiding the PIP is the higher-leverage skill. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How long should a PIP be? 30 days for behavioral or velocity issues; 60–90 days for technical-skill development. Shorter than 30 is rarely fair; longer than 90 is unusual. ### Can I PIP someone for cultural fit? "Cultural fit" is too vague to justify a PIP. Identify the specific behaviors and document those. If you cannot point to behaviors, the issue is yours to work out, not the engineer's. ### Should I tell the rest of the team someone is on a PIP? No. PIP status is confidential between you, HR, and the engineer.