Line manager
What a line manager does in the training programme from manual testing to automatic testing, why the role matters, and how much time it takes.
Purpose of managing in this programme
The programme only works if three things hold: the person really has the time, the ratings at each gate are honest, and the person's development plan is owned by someone with the authority to act on it. The line manager is responsible for all three.
The line manager:
- protects the learning time: 7.5 hours a week by default, in both calendars, with delivery work reduced to match
- rates independently, then calibrates: at every gate, rates the person without looking at their self-assessment, then agrees each rating with them using evidence
- owns the individual learning plan with the person: the gaps that matter most, actions, owners, and dates
- makes it safe to be honest: a gap is not a failing, and the gates are developmental only (spec Principle 14)
- connects learning to real work: finds the team's product work to automate, and recognises progress.
The line manager does not decide band, pay, or role through this programme, and a gate result never starts a capability, performance, or conduct procedure.
What the manager does, stage by stage
| Programme hours | Stage | What the line manager does |
|---|---|---|
| Before hour 0 | Planning | Attends the 60-minute line manager briefing; agrees the protected time and pace; puts the time in both calendars; reduces the person's delivery work with their product owner. |
| 0–60 | The basics, Modules 1 to 3 | Checks in every 15 learning hours; makes sure the person can install and run Node.js, Chrome, and VS Code on their own system, and can use the AI assistant the organisation allows. |
| 88 | Gate 0 and Module 6 Induction | Rates the person's baseline independently; calibrates with them; agrees the individual learning plan; signs the learning agreement. |
| 88–268 | Modules 7 to 16 | Checks in every 15 learning hours on the individual learning plan, blockers, and protected time; from hour 155.5, helps find real work to automate on the team's product; at Gates 1 to 4 (hours 133, 178, 215.5, and 268), rates independently and calibrates. |
| 268–308 | Module 17 Lean Six Sigma Green Belt | Supports the person's Green Belt project on the team's testing process, with the product owner as sponsor. |
| About six months after Gate 4 | Gate 5 follow-up | Rates and calibrates once more, and agrees a plan for any remaining gaps before the next annual appraisal. |
If time must be taken back, agree it with the training lead first. If more than 7.5 hours are lost in a gate period, the training lead escalates.
Rating and calibration
- The person completes the self-assessment for their track before the gate, on their track's page.
- You rate independently, without looking at their ratings.
- Rate what they do regularly, not what they did once or could do.
- You meet and agree each rating. Where you differ by more than one level, the evidence decides. If you still disagree, the mentor or training lead moderates.
The calibration guide has the detail. The training lead samples 1 in 5 assessments across the cohort for consistency.
Time commitment
Per person you manage, from the spec's roles and responsibilities and the resource estimate:
| Activity | Rate | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Check-ins | 1 hour every 15 learning hours, over 308 hours | About 21 |
| Gates | About 2 hours at each of Gates 0 to 5: rating, calibration, and the plan | 12 |
| Total | About 33 per person |
At the default pace, that is under 1 hour a week for each person, over about 41 weeks, plus the 60-minute briefing before hour 0. With the optional extension to 368 hours for Band 3 and Band 4, add about 4 hours.
Line manager checklist
- Attend the line manager briefing.
- Agree the pace, and put the protected time in both calendars before hour 0.
- Reduce the person's delivery work to match, with their product owner.
- Rate independently at every gate, then calibrate using the calibration guide.
- Agree the individual learning plan after each gate, and check in every 15 learning hours.
- From hour 155.5, help find real work to automate on the team's product.
Related
View this document on GitHub materials/manager.md