How to use Engineering Ladders
There is only a slight difference in the usage of EL depending on if you are looking at it from the personal or direct report perspective.
Individual
As an Individual you already have your "shape" given to you by your manager.
If you don't have your representation ("shape") on the EL diagram please ask your manager to provide you with the most relevant one.
If you have an aspiration and desire to grow please choose your role type out of the currently available: Engineering Roles Research Roles (if you are in the Research Function) Engineering Management Roles
In order to qualify for the desired position you need to hit at least 3 points out of 5 of the reference shape.
For example, in order to qualify for the Senior Engineer your "shape" needs to intersect with the Reference one in 3 points out of Evangelizes, Owns, Mentors, Challenges, Stream.
Nonetheless, meeting 3 out of 5 requirements does not mean that you are immediately promoted. It is necessary but not sufficient, it can depend on the role complexity and it's up to the manager to evaluate which requirements weigh more. All the promotions happen following a manager's decision and company promotion rules.
If you see that some levels need to be gained to meet the necessary shape requirements, check definitions on the missing levels and speak with your manager to clarify what those definitions mean in the context of a domain (Program or a Stream you are working in) or professional (hard skills specialization) knowledge.
Create a Personal Development Plan with your manager and follow its progress via 1:1s and other dedicated meetings.
Manager
Remember that all the promotions are happening in accordance with the promotional cycle rules.
As a manager, make sure that you have all your direct reports "shapes".
For each of the direct reports whose career development is entrusted to you, assess the difference between their current shape and the reference one.
See what levels are missing for each individual when working on their growth plan Check those level definitions and try to separate them by domain or professional knowledge relevance. Levels are intentionally loosely defined so they can be adapted to the needs and requirements of the specificity of the professional knowledge (front-end or backend in general, smart contract development, or something more narrow based on your team engineering specification). For the domain knowledge apply the Stream or a Program context your direct report is involved in. If necessary seek help from the Program or a Stream Leads. For the professional knowledge develop the plan personally. If necessary, seek help from your manager.
The 3 out of 5 rule for the promotion at the end of the day is nothing more than a recommendation. It is up to you to decide if all the axis has similar weight or if you need a particular 3 to be covered in or for promotion to happen. This guide is nothing more than a recommendation, adopt and use it to the needs of your team and their areas of impact.
Create a personal development plan for each of your direct reports with their help and collaboration and follow the progress via 1:1s and other dedicated meetings.