T-Shaped Versatility Playbook

warningWhy You Need This

Re-Logic built a $500M+ game with 11 people by hiring versatile generalists, not narrow specialists. While AAA game studios need 200+ employees, Re-Logic achieved 18x better efficiency by building a team where everyone could flex across multiple domains.

Single points of failure are the #1 risk for microteams. One person gets sick, takes vacation, or leaves — and critical work stops. This playbook shows you how to systematically eliminate that risk: audit what you have, map what you need, hire and train for breadth.

checklistWhat's Included

• chevron_right

  Team Versatility Audit: Capability matrix, single-point-of-failure tracker, and Bottleneck Index calculator

• chevron_right

  T-Shaped Skills Map: Depth/breadth/awareness template for every team member with a worked example

• chevron_right

  Versatility Hiring System: 3 screening questions, a final interview structure, and a weighted scorecard

• chevron_right

  90-Day Cross-Training Playbook: Week-by-week learning plan, goal-setting template, and quarterly rotation system

• chevron_right

  Versatile Role Templates: 3 job descriptions optimized for generalists: Full-Stack Engineer, Founding Designer, Growth Generalist

timelinePlaybook Steps (In Order)

1. counter_1

   Step 1: Audit — Map your team's capabilities, find single points of failure, calculate your Bottleneck Index.

2. counter_2

   Step 2: Map — Fill out T-Shaped Skills Maps for every team member. Identify growth areas.

3. counter_3

   Step 3: Hire — Use the screening questions and scorecard for your next hire. Screen for breadth, not just depth.

4. counter_4

   Step 4: Train — Run 90-day cross-training plans to expand existing team skills. Rotate quarterly.

5. counter_5

   Step 5: Design — Write versatile job descriptions using the 3 templates. Attract generalists from the start.

searchStep 1: Team Versatility Audit

A 3-part audit: map who can do what on your team, identify every single point of failure, and calculate your Bottleneck Index to see how fragile (or resilient) your team really is.

personStep 2: T-Shaped Skills Map

Document each team member's depth, breadth, awareness, and growth areas on a structured template. Includes a fully worked example of a T-shaped backend engineer to set the standard.

interview_roundStep 3: Versatility Hiring System

3 screening questions that filter for breadth (cross-functional work, learning velocity, end-to-end ownership), a 4-segment final interview structure, and a weighted scorecard with a clear hire/pass threshold.

schoolStep 4: 90-Day Cross-Training Playbook

A week-by-week plan to take each team member from beginner to intermediate in one adjacent skill. Includes common role/skill pairings, a learning schedule, a progress assessment, and a quarterly rotation system.

descriptionStep 5: Versatile Role Design Templates

3 fill-in-the-blank job descriptions built for generalists — Full-Stack Engineer, Founding Designer, and Growth Generalist. Each separates core skills (depth) from adjacent skills (breadth) and sets the right mindset expectations.