There’s an all-too-common cycle in tech these days. Startup avoids management. The founder makes all the decisions. Startup gets traction. Hiring takes off. Management is suddenly needed. Founder turns to his best engineer: “I’m drowning. Can you manage this team for me?”

This is a 90-day plan for developers who transition into management. This exclusive article breaks down a plan to help engineering leaders set their priorities, gain their footing, and assess their own performance so they can grow fast and start empowering others.

This 90-day framework can help new engineering managers navigate their first quarter with three distinct stages: Own Your Education, Find Your Rhythm, and Assessing Yourself. But first, there’s the decision of whether to commit to management — which is a much bigger deal (with bigger tradeoffs) than most people suspect.