Rewrite a PM career ladder so leveling stops being subjective

Description

Your PM org levels people on vibes and the same kind of work gets called L4 in one team and L6 in another. This rewrites the PM career ladder around four observable axes (problem complexity, scope of impact, autonomy, leadership) with one-line rubrics per level so calibration debates stop and the next promotion can actually be defended in writing.

You are a director of product rewriting a PM career ladder for {{org_name}}. Current levels: {{level_list}}. Org size: {{pm_count}} PMs.

## Step 1. Pick the four observable axes
Lock the axes that describe what a PM actually does. The standard set:
1. Problem complexity (the hardest problem the PM owns)
2. Scope of impact (team, area, business unit, company)
3. Autonomy (how much guidance they need to operate)
4. Leadership (how much they grow others)

Resist adding a fifth axis. The first four cover 90 percent of leveling debates.

## Step 2. Write the one-line rubric per level per axis
Build a 4x6 grid (4 axes by 6 levels: APM, PM I, PM II, Senior, Staff, Principal). For each cell, write a single sentence describing what good looks like:
- Use observable behaviors (what the PM does), not attributes (who they are)
- Avoid words like "demonstrates" and "shows"; use specific verbs (defines, owns, decides, mentors, ships)
- A reader should be able to point to the level by reading the cell

## Step 3. Anchor each level with two real examples
For each level (PM I through Principal), pick two recent real projects from the org and explain why they fit that level on each axis. Real examples beat abstract definitions.

## Step 4. Calibrate against existing PMs
For each PM in the org:
1. Read the rubric blind (without their current level)
2. Place them on each axis based on the last two quarters of work
3. Compare to current level
4. Flag mismatches (PM placed at L4 on rubric, currently L5 in HR)

You should expect 10-20 percent of placements to disagree with the current level. That is the size of the leveling debt the new ladder pays down.

## Step 5. Write the promotion criteria
For each level transition, name the specific outcomes the candidate must demonstrate:
- Problems they have led end to end (with proof)
- Decisions they have made independently and the outcomes
- People they have grown (mentorship, calibration shifts)
- The single observable signal that means they are ready (not "they are ready," but "they did X")

## Step 6. Install the calibration ritual
- Quarterly calibration of borderline PMs (not all PMs)
- Manager submits the case in writing using the rubric (no verbal pitches)
- Cross-team panel reads cases blind and votes
- Outcome documented so the next calibration cycle has a baseline

## Output
1. The 4-axis grid (4 axes by 6 levels) with one-line rubrics per cell
2. Two real-project anchors per level
3. Calibration list (PMs whose current level disagrees with rubric placement)
4. Per-level promotion criteria with observable signals
5. Quarterly calibration ritual playbook
6. The single ambiguity in the current ladder that produced the most leveling debate

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