Shokunin, Sushi and Engineering
Inspiration for Qwilr's Engineering Career Pathway
In celebration of Engineering the craft, my younger inspiration and the inspiration behind Qwilr’s Engineering Career Pathway.
Is Engineering more than coding?
When I recall my 12-year-old self powering on the second-hand Commodore Plus 4 my mother gave me, that first experience of typing in commands and seeing the screen light up… I didn’t think, “hey, I’m coding”. Instead, I thought, “hey, I’m making something!”
I pursued this craft for many years during the era of data-intensive enterprise applications and the early web. Fascinated by the entire engineering process, I studied to become the first Australian IEEE Certified Software Development Professional in 2003. After that, I broadened to manage 6-month enterprise projects, create products and form close customer relationships. And after a stint in account management and sales, I returned to being a Technology Leader on the frontier that was the Cloud… It was all about making again, with teams as well as technology.
Jiro dreams of sushi
Jiro would understand. “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” is a beautiful documentary about a man who dedicated himself to his craft over many years, persisting from humble beginnings in pursuit of excellence.
“You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success.”
“Always strive to elevate your craft”
"I love making sushi. That's the spirit of shokunin”
— Jiro Uno
Notice the word Shokunin. When looking for inspiration for the Engineering craft at Qwilr in late 2020, I wanted something more than a dry “career ladder”, but a concept that celebrated the unique craft of making that Engineering is. Shokunin proved a perfect fit and has shaped Qwilr’s Engineering Career Pathway since.
Shokunin is a philosophy
Shokunin means "mastery of one's profession", "craftsperson", and "artisan". It is that and much more. It is a “way of thinking” and a “way of life”:
The literal description [artisan] does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. - Tasio Odate
Shokunin dedicate themselves to their craft. They take pride in their work and yet understand that the work is more significant than them alone. This is why they seek to pass it on to others. This passion and generous knowledge sharing is found in the best Engineers I’ve had the privilege of working with.
A related term 'Shokunin kishitsu' or 'craftsman's spirit' conveys the philosophy that no matter what profession you have chosen in life, do it primarily for the wider society. It is the pursuit of perfection and self-mastery. But because perfection is impossible and nobody ever truly masters anything, whatever we learn is passed on to others to continue. The philosophy of the shokunin is not unique to Japan. It is found among all cultures and religions of the world. - shokunin.studio
I was excited about these aspects of Shokunin. I thought I didn’t need to hear more. Then I read that Shokunin exists as a part of a community, a team:
The shokunin exist as shokunin because others exist in community with them. At Asahi-yaki where I belong, there are six other shokunin. ... I think shokunin are kind of people that care about what “WE” make, instead of what “I” make. – Hōsai Matsubayashi
There are several broader explorations of the concept, such as this artisan view, this personal enrichment view, and this career view.
I love the balance between holistic thinking about the broader impact of Engineering alongside the focus on perfecting the tactile craft that is Software Development. As a result, Shokunin became and remained the underlying philosophy of the Engineering craft at Qwilr.
Qwilr Shokunin 5Ms
I began to unpack the facets of Shokunin and reflect on my favourite aspects of competency models in the past (shoutout to Atlassian’s inclusion of team and values in its performance reviews). After drafts, workshops and feedback, we settled on a competency model called the “5Ms”:
👩🍳 Maker - the craftsperson on a journey from apprentice to master.
🚴♀️ Mover - The planner, do-er and shipper, moving work forward.
👩🏫 Mentor - The evergreen learner, grower and teacher of people.
🎽 Multiplier - the impactor of teams, the organisation and the world.
🧭️ Model - the cultural example of applying shared principles.
Whether Engineers or Managers, we are not just one of the above. Rather, we have all within us in varying degrees. Our pursuit of excellence encourages us to reflect on each of these, the competencies they contain, and our learning of them.
At Qwilr, long before a career pathway was fully developed, this gave the team a direction to pursue and was the subject of periodic self-reflection exercises and growth conversations. This was used to accelerate growth and refine the model itself.
Qwilr Shokunin Pathway
Shokunin is a journey, a way, of developing one's craft over a career. Some hone their craft while making contributions to their team and craft. Others broaden their impact through their technical skill and mentorship. Others focus on mentoring and multiplying through project and people leadership.
The Qwilr Shokunin Pathway has two tracks:
Individual Contributor (IC) - Software Engineers and other specialist engineers at various levels.
Engineering Management - Managers of teams and managers of managers-of-teams.
ICs and Managers have a 5Ms model with a different focus of competencies within each M, and specialists (e.g. SRE and Data Engineer) also have their own focus.
I’ve omitted the titles from this diagram to emphasise the following:
Both tracks are critical for our success, have a journey to senior leadership and are highly valued.
Transition is possible. Career growth can lead to ICs becoming Managers and vice versa based on proficiency and potential. This has already occurred at Qwilr.
We believe in keeping a technical and people connection on both sides. So for example, Mentoring is essential for ICs as it is for Managers, and Engineering Managers are involved in technical decision-making.
Managers and Engineers at all levels must work together to achieve true Shokunin.
We are all makers of software
The Shokunin concept is woven deeply into the thinking of Engineering craft at Qwilr. I’ll follow up with a deeper look at the 5Ms and their connection to Shokunin. For now, though, I want to emphasise:
We are all makers of software… and more!
- Ben Mackie
It’s a broad statement for those in Engineering and for many who collaborate with them to build the physical product. It’s unashamedly celebrating the craft that is the physical building of the product that users tangibly interact with in their daily work.
It is both what you do and it is how you do it. There is deep work performed alone, and there is work together. It is shared with others, and it is meaningful. Engineering is not coding to a spec, ignorant of the users of their product. It is deeply connected to them.
This holistic view of Engineering that pursues excellence, shares knowledge, collaborates with others, and is user-aware was the best of my journey and is what I encourage in my teams. Whether you enter the craft through tertiary education or cross-skill with a coding course, you’re on the way to becoming a Shokunin.
I don’t pretend to be an expert in Japanese culture, but I am a student of his concept and way of thinking.
Striving for perfection is the goal, but being at peace knowing that it will not be achieved. It’s this sense that, I believe, to be at the heart of mastering a craft.
- Jiro Uno
So to each of you in Engineering, I say:
Managers, don’t divorce yourself from the craft you manage, but find joy in inspiring this holistic mindset!
Masters, be proud of the craft you have developed, and share it with the next generation!
Apprentices, take on the journey of a Shokunin and be proud that you are an Engineer!
You are coders, and you are the makers of software for users everywhere 🍣
Thanks for sharing this insightful piece Ben, love the parallels you've drawn between the Shokunin and the craft of engineering. Can definitely see the value this philosophy would have for building meaningful engineering career pathways at Qwilr.
As a product manager that works closely with engineers and people from other disciplines every day, the following excerpts deeply resonated with me:
"...shokunin are kind of people that care about what “WE” make, instead of what “I” make"
"Engineering is not coding to a spec, ignorant of the users of their product. It is deeply connected to them."
One of the reasons I love working in product is that it truly lives up to the adage of being greater than the sum of its parts. It's only when the collective and disparate talents of product managers, engineers and designers come together in a balanced and pragmatic way that great business and customer outcomes can be delivered.
I've also learned that connecting engineers to the customer's pain builds empathy and invariably leads to more impactful and scalable solutions. Fortunate to have learned so much from the talented engineers I've had the privilege to work with.