Crafting Engineering Strategy: How Thoughtful Decisions Solve Complex Problems

Many engineers assume their organization doesn't have an engineering strategy—when in fact, they often do. It just may not be working. In Crafting Engineering Strategy, Will Larson (author of An Elegant Puzzle, Staff Engineer, and The Engineering Executive's Primer) offers a practical, example-rich guide to navigating technical and organizational complexity through structured, intentional strategy. Written for senior engineers, engineering leaders, architects, and curious collaborators, this book lays out a repeatable process for building effective, actionable strategies—from early diagnosis to rollout. With lessons drawn from real-world case studies at companies like Stripe, Uber, and Calm, Larson provides a framework for shaping critical decisions around system migrations, API deprecations, platform investments, and more. Along the way, you'll learn to augment technical planning with communication, governance, and systems thinking. Whether you're shaping your team's direction or leading a company-wide initiative, Crafting Engineering Strategy will help you make thoughtful decisions that stick. Build durable engineering strategies from first principles Apply methods like Wardley mapping and systems modeling Lead strategy as a staff+ engineer or executive Learn from detailed case studies across industries Improve your strategic fluency and influence over time