Engineering strategy requires a precise and authoritative vocabulary. This quiz covers the key collocations for defining strategy, communicating vision, setting goals, and measuring results.
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Fill in: 'The VP of Engineering spent Q1 working with the leadership team to ___ a three-year technical strategy.'
We 'define a strategy' — 'define' conveys the deliberate act of specifying the scope, goals, and principles of a strategic direction. 'Create a strategy' is acceptable but more generic; 'build a strategy' is informal; 'write a strategy' focuses on the document, not the thinking behind it.
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Fill in: 'Each engineering team is asked to ___ OKRs that connect to the company's annual objectives.'
We 'set OKRs' — 'set' is the idiomatic collocation in OKR methodology for establishing objectives and key results at the beginning of a cycle. 'Define OKRs' is also used; 'create' is generic; 'write OKRs' focuses on the documentation act rather than the goal-setting process.
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Fill in: 'Leadership must ___ a compelling vision to the entire engineering organisation at the all-hands.'
We 'communicate a vision' — 'communicate' is the standard collocation for conveying strategic intent in a way that is understood and internalised. 'Share a vision' is softer and informal; 'present a vision' focuses on the event; 'deliver a vision' is idiomatic in speeches but 'communicate' better captures the two-way understanding expected of leadership.
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Fill in: 'Product and engineering partnered to ___ a twelve-month product roadmap tied to company KPIs.'
We 'build a roadmap' — 'build' is the standard collocation for constructing a roadmap as a collaborative, iterative artefact. 'Create' is generic; 'design' focuses on the visual or structural layout; 'make' is too informal for a strategic planning process.
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Fill in: 'At the end of each quarter, the team must ___ outcomes against the OKRs they set in January.'
We 'measure outcomes' — 'measure' is the precise collocation for quantifying results against defined success criteria. 'Track outcomes' emphasises the ongoing monitoring process; 'review outcomes' is suitable for a retrospective meeting; 'assess outcomes' is close but 'measure' is the OKR-standard verb that implies quantitative evaluation.