Inside
Three workbooks that share the same record.
Leveling: write the standard
Define the roles, collect evidence and record the calibration decision.
Compensation: price the result
Build the bands, cost each proposal against agreed limits and record the approvals.
Development: make room for the work
Agree one assignment, clear the time and check what happened 90 days later.
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.
“Renn’s model puts evidence, judgment and decision in the same conversation, where research and design can change an outcome instead of decorating one.”
Jenny Lo · Head of User Research, Harvey AI
Across the three workbooks
Run the cycle with People and Finance teams.
Functional leaders
Write the roles, bring the evidence and make room for the next assignment.
People
Keep the standard consistent and give disputed evidence somewhere to go.
Finance
Set the limits, check the cost and approve the final numbers.
One case through all three books
Follow a fictional team through calibration, an over-budget pay proposal, an approved timing change and a development plan with protected time.
The evidence stays put
If a pay proposal exceeds the budget, change the amount or its timing. Do not rewrite the assessment.
“Renn understands that clarity and humanity are not opposites. This system makes scope, pay and growth discussable without reducing creative people—or their ambition—to boxes on a ladder.”
Li-Anne Dias · Executive Creative Director, Brex
Choose a volume
Start with the decision in front of you.
Leveling
For EPD leaders who need Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing to use the same level structure. People gets a standard it can run and audit.
Compensation
For CFOs and Finance teams setting pay across Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing. Functional leaders bring the role and market evidence.
Development
For EPD and Marketing leaders working with People. Turn review evidence into live work, protected time and a manager commitment for the next 90 days.
The new standard
Leveling, compensation and development in the age of AI.
One standard for levels, pay and growth. The set includes three printable workbooks, 24 editable templates and reference sheets, and 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 enterpriseThe thinking behind the tools
Read the related essays.
Before you buy
A few practical questions.
What do I receive?
You can read the workbook on this site and download a printable PDF and editable .xlsx templates. The set includes all three. 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. Map the spreadsheet fields into your HR system and use a stable employee ID. Keep private notes out of the approved record. An AI client or MCP connection can read the exported JSON through your own file or drive connector, check for missing fields and prepare drafts. A person still approves every level, pay decision and development commitment.
Why not use the framework built into our HR package?
You may be able to. HR software handles forms, permissions, workflow and storage well. This set helps the leadership team decide what the fields mean, which evidence counts and who may make an exception. If the package can preserve those choices and keep assessment, pay and development separate, configure the process there.
Why use this instead of a framework from an investor, COO or People team?
Begin with theirs. It may save months and fit your HR software already. Then test it against work your company has done: which decisions were delegated, what craft the role required and what settled the disputed cases? Keep every part that answers those questions. Use this workbook for the gaps.
Why six levels rather than nine?
Six gives this system enough room to distinguish how work is done, what gets made, which problem matters, what the company refuses, what should survive its author and which constraints govern the company. Add another level when you can name the new decision, separate it from both neighboring levels and find the same boundary in more than one role.
What if someone regularly does work from another discipline?
First decide whether the work is an occasional contribution, a temporary acting assignment, a sustained hybrid role or a role transfer. The shared level records decision authority; it does not force identical pay across disciplines. Price the actual sustained role with matched market evidence, check the required craft with the relevant functional leader, and document any temporary or permanent differential. A title should not be used to discount work the company has made part of the job.
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.
A performance review system for EPD and AI teams.
One standard for levels, pay and growth. The set includes three printable workbooks, 24 editable templates and reference sheets, and three worked examples.
One payment · Immediate digital access · v1 updates included
Read the sample before buying · Access and refund terms
© 2026 Renato Valdés-Olmos



