Engineering Accountability Manifesto

Why this exists

Our work shapes real systems in the real world. We write the code, but we also shape the risks, the behavior, and the long-term impact. These principles guide how we take responsibility—not just for what we build, but how we build it, and who it affects.

Principles

1. Software Is Infrastructure

Every system we build becomes someone’s dependency. Assume longevity. Code like it matters—because it does.

2. Deployment Is Not the End

Success isn’t shipping—it’s owning what you ship. If it breaks in production, it’s not just “dev done.”

3. Fast Doesn’t Mean Careless

Move fast, but don’t cut so many corners that you have to rebuild the whole house later.

4. Abstractions Don’t Remove Responsibility

You can’t “just be the backend dev” or “just the API writer.” You’re part of the outcome.

5. Ask the Hard Questions Early

Push upstream. Clarify tradeoffs. Don’t wait until it’s “in scope” to raise real concerns.

6. Sign-Off Means Ownership

Approval isn’t a rubber stamp. It’s an agreement to stand behind a decision—in success and failure.

7. Accountability Is a Team Sport

Failure lives in the handoffs. Shared systems need shared responsibility.

8. Engineers Are Leaders, Too

Don’t defer leadership just because you don’t have the title. Care deeply, speak clearly, act responsibly.

9. Postmortems Are Not Accountability

We don’t just “note the learning” and move on. We own what broke—and what should’ve been different.

10. Integrity Over Optics

Ritual is not rigor. Be honest about risk, even if it doesn’t look clean on the roadmap.

11. Build With the Next Engineer in Mind

Your code is someone else’s future. Leave a system worth inheriting.

12. If You See a Problem, You Own a Piece of It

Silence is complicity. If something doesn’t feel right, speak. You don’t need permission to care.

Call to Action

• Use these principles in design reviews
• Link them in PR templates
• Teach them in onboarding
• Reward system thinking, not just fast shipping

“Systems don’t fail because no one knew—they fail because no one owned.”