The Rands Test

Core Idea

The Rands Test is an 11-question binary diagnostic for engineering team health, measuring the managerial and communication infrastructure that determines whether a team can do its best work — answering “What the hell is going on?” and “Where am I?”

What It Is

The Rands Test is an 11-question organisational health diagnostic for software engineering teams, created by Michael Lopp in Managing Humans - Lopp - 2019, Chapter 3. It adapts Joel Spolsky’s Joel Test, shifting focus from technical practices to the human and managerial infrastructure.

Each question is binary (yes/no), scored as +1 for yes.

Scoring

• 8–11: Healthy environment — communication and safety infrastructure is in place
• 5–7: Warning zone — identifiable gaps in managerial practice
• Below 5: Serious problems — the organisational substrate is broken

The 11 Questions

1. Consistent 1:1s — Do you have a regular 1:1 with your manager that covers more than status?
2. Team meetings — Does your team have a regular team meeting?
3. Status reports — Does your manager send a weekly status report? (Scored inversely — indicates information hoarding)
4. Ability to say no — Can you say no to your manager?
5. Company strategy — Can you explain your company’s product strategy?
6. Business state — Do you know the approximate state of the business — revenue, growth, challenges?
7. Leadership transparency — Does your leader regularly speak to the whole team about what they are thinking?
8. Career visibility — Do you know what you want to do next? Does your manager?
9. Strategic thinking time — Do you have time in your week for strategic thinking, not just tactical execution?
10. Grapevine health — Is the team’s grapevine healthy — rumours mostly accurate and constructive?
11. Office hours — Does your manager hold regular open office hours?

Practical Use

• Self-assessment: Engineers evaluate whether a prospective employer’s management culture is healthy
• Manager audit: Managers identify their own gaps and prioritise improvements
• Interview tool: Probe a hiring manager’s management philosophy during job interviews
• Periodic check: Run quarterly to track organisational health over time

Related Concepts

• Managing Humans - Lopp - 2019
• 1on1-Meeting-Formats
• Information-Starvation
• Manager-as-Communication-Hub

Sources

• Lopp, Michael (2019). Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager. 3rd ed. Apress. ISBN: 978-1-484-23712-4. Available: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4842-2158-7

  • Chapter 3: “The Rands Test” — primary source; also published online at https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-rands-test/

• Spolsky, Joel (2000). “The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code.” Joel on Software. Available: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/08/09/the-joel-test-12-steps-to-better-code/

  • Original 12-question diagnostic the Rands Test adapts

• Forsgren, Nicole, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim (2018). Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps. IT Revolution Press. ISBN: 978-1-942788-33-1.

  • DORA metrics provide a complementary, delivery-focused framework for assessing team health

• Google re:Work (2016). “Understand team effectiveness.” Project Aristotle research summary. Available: https://rework.withgoogle.com/intl/en/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness

  • Psychological safety as the top predictor of team effectiveness; aligns with why “can you say no?” is a meaningful proxy

• Dhar, Nitin (2021). “Manager of managers — health checks.” Total Engineering Management. Medium. Available: https://medium.com/one-to-n/manager-of-managers-health-checks-ba95626bca48

Note

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