What you can put to work
Three decisions. One shared standard.
Leveling: agree on the standard
Define levels, record performance and make company values observable before calibration.
Compensation: fund the decision
Build the bands, cost base-pay proposals against agreed limits and record approvals after the level is settled.
Development: make room to grow
Agree the assignment, protected capacity and any spending, then follow through next quarter.
Editable templates included
24 editable templates and reference sheets, plus three connected worked examples across three spreadsheets, including performance records, budget checks and funded development plans.
Where to start
Start with Leveling to establish the standard. Use Compensation after calibration closes, and Development in the quarterly conversations between reviews.
Across the three workbooks
Run the cycle with People and Finance teams.
Functional leaders
Define strong work, bring the evidence and own the development commitments.
People
Make standards consistent, connect values to behavior and give disputed evidence a clear review route.
Finance
Agree the limits, compare proposed and approved costs, and reconcile the decision before release.
One case, from assessment to action
Follow a fictional team through calibration, a pay proposal that exceeds the period budget, an approved timing change and a development plan with protected time.
Keep the assessment honest
A funding constraint produces a documented pay decision and effective date. It does not rewrite the evidence about someone’s work.
Written by Renato Valdés-Olmos
Built from running the cycle.
I have run leveling, compensation and development cycles at companies of 25, 250 and 2500 people. These workbooks turn those mechanics into documents you can use with your team. The shared six-level framework is new in v1.
More about my work
Choose what you need
Start with a workbook, or use the whole set.
Leveling
For EPD leaders extending one credible standard across Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing, with People as the partner who makes it fair and durable.
Compensation
For CFOs and Finance teams setting pay for Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing, with EPD leaders supplying the role and market evidence behind every decision.
Development
For Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing leaders and People teams to run together: turn review evidence into funded growth work, protected time and explicit manager commitments.
The new standard
Leveling, compensation and development in the age of AI.
A shared standard for levels, pay and growth. All three workbooks, their printable documents, 24 editable templates and reference sheets, plus three worked examples. Save $18 compared with buying separately.
$117$99
Team license
All three workbooks and their templates for one leadership team or function at one company. Already bought a single copy? Its price is credited toward the team license. License details.
Enterprise license
Company-wide, multi-division or portfolio-company use, with the licensed entities and rollout scope agreed before purchase. Suitable when procurement, legal, security or implementation support needs to be part of the work. License details.
From $2,500
Contact about enterpriseBefore you buy
A few practical questions.
What do I receive?
The workbook unlocks on this site. You also get a printable pdf and editable .xlsx templates. The set includes all three workbooks and their templates. These are digital downloads; no physical book is shipped.
Do I need the other workbooks?
The set includes the shared framework and both companion workbooks. You can read section two of each before buying.
Will this work with our HRIS and AI tools?
Yes. The spreadsheets are designed for field mapping, and every online workspace can export versioned JSON. Put only the approved record into your HR system, keyed by a stable employee ID; keep private notes and draft reasoning outside it. An approved AI client or MCP connection can read the exported file, check completeness and prepare drafts through your own file or drive connector. The site does not expose a hosted MCP endpoint or receive employee records, and an AI tool should never approve a level, pay decision or development commitment.
Why not use the framework built into our HR package?
Use it when it fits. An HR package is good at forms, permissions, workflow and storage. These workbooks help your leadership team decide what the fields mean, which evidence counts, who owns the judgment and how exceptions work. Treat the workbook as an acceptance test for the package; if the package preserves the standard and the three separate decisions, configure it there instead of rebuilding the forms.
Does Compensation include salary guidance by geography?
Yes. The September 2026 reference includes 71 public salary and total-compensation ranges across 33 selected geographies, with dedicated coverage for Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as the Bay Area, New York, the US and Europe. Coverage varies by role. It also explains how to handle frontier-AI offers that break an existing band. Every range carries a source and date. Total compensation, advertised salaries and wages are kept separate; matched base-pay inputs still need approval before budgeting.
What does the budget model cover?
Base-pay increases for existing employees in one currency, plus an explicit employer on-cost rate. Compare annualized and remaining-period costs with separate limits. Bonus, benefit changes, hiring, departures, foreign exchange and equity need separate costing. The workbook explains how to record the scope and approvals.
How do I get access?
After checkout, an email goes to the address you paid with. Its private reader link opens the complete workbook. You can also open the reader from this page and enter the access key from the email. The sample remains a separate public chapter.
Can I use it with my team?
A single purchase covers one person, with sharing permitted with your own manager and managers who report to you while running a cycle. The $499 team license covers one leadership team or function at one company. Company-wide, multi-division or portfolio-company use needs an enterprise license. A single purchase can be credited toward the team license. Read the license.
What if we need an enterprise rollout?
Enterprise licenses start at $2,500 for company-wide, multi-division or portfolio-company use, procurement requirements and an agreed rollout scope. Contact me with the organizations, approximate audience, countries and timing for a quote.
Can I get a refund?
Read the complete sample chapter before buying. Because the workbook, PDF and editable files are delivered immediately, checkout asks you to acknowledge that the purchase becomes final when digital access begins. Duplicate charges, persistent access failures, material differences from the description and mandatory legal remedies remain covered. Read the access and refund terms.
Are updates included?
Every revision of v1 is included and sent to the address you paid with. Your purchase does not subscribe you to the essay newsletter.
Can I get a company invoice?
Stripe sends a receipt after purchase. Reply to it with your company name and tax number if you need a company invoice. Any applicable tax is shown at checkout.
Leveling, compensation, and development in the age of AI.
A shared standard for levels, pay and growth. All three workbooks, their printable documents, 24 editable templates and reference sheets, plus three worked examples.
One payment · Immediate digital access · v1 updates included
Read the sample before buying · Access and refund terms
© 2026 Renato Valdés-Olmos