Article · 20 min read

Square Defangs Difficult Decisions with This System (SPADE)

Gokul Rajaram · First Round Review Free Intermediate

Gokul Rajaram's SPADE framework is built on one rule that fits your situation perfectly: the person who has to execute and live with the decision is the one who makes it. That is precisely why the developer should own the build. It also gives you a lightweight structure (setting, people, alternatives, decide, explain) so the final call is documented and the losing side still feels heard.

  • The person accountable for executing should be the one who decides.
  • Three owners means no owner, so force a single decider on every call.
  • Explaining the decision afterward is what keeps buy-in after a disagreement.
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The question it answers

  1. When my technical hire and I disagree on the tech stack, whose call is it?

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