A phase-by-phase score
Discovery, process map, baseline, triage, build, and the final readout, each scored against a fixed rubric with the penalties named.
For Employers
Hire FDEs with skills they have demonstrated, not just listed.
Résumés say what someone has worked on. In FDE Workbench every candidate runs the same realistic client engagement and is scored on the skills below, with the evidence behind each score.
Access is opening in stages. Waitlist members hear first.
What the Workbench evaluates
Eight skills that a forward-deployed engineer uses on a real engagement. Each one is scored from what the candidate did, out of 100 points in total.
- 16pts
Discovery
Asks questions that bring out what people are not volunteering, talks to more than one person, and checks claims against system data.
- 4pts
Conduct
Politeness, respect, listening and clarity, as rated by the people they interviewed.
- 15pts
Process mapping
Maps what really happens instead of what the procedure says, checks the map against the data, and shows the sponsor before proposing a fix.
- 15pts
Baseline measurement
Measures the current state from the data before changing anything, so improvement can be proven.
- 5pts
Prioritization and ownership
Picks the process that drives the problem and gets a named person to own it.
- 20pts
Triage
Decides step by step what to automate, what to simplify and what to keep human, and explains each choice.
- 15pts
Building in existing systems
Configures the fix inside the tools the team already uses, tests alternatives, plans for rollback, and routes exceptions to a named person.
- 10pts
Measuring and communicating results
Measures again after the build and reports before-and-after results to the right buyer, framed as better work for staff.
Judgment penalties. Points come off for common mistakes, such as skipping the baseline, proposing new tools or headcount when the existing systems would do, or talking about replacing staff.
Weight the skills your way
Every team values different things. In your evaluation dashboard you set your own weight for each skill, and candidates are ranked by your weighting. It is recalculated from the same underlying results, so the comparison stays fair.
What you see for each candidate
Every candidate runs the same scenario, so results compare directly. Candidates consent to this sharing before they start.
The full interview transcripts
Read exactly what the candidate asked each of eight people, and which questions uncovered the facts that were hidden on purpose.
How the room felt about them
Each person they interviewed rates their politeness, respect, listening and clarity, and says why in their own voice.
A verified contact
Candidates confirm their email address with a one-time link before they start, so the address you get is real and theirs.
Why a simulation
The scenario has a plausible wrong answer. The sponsor wants to hire more staff or buy an AI voice agent. Candidates who measure first, talk to the people doing the work, and build inside the existing systems score well. Candidates who jump to the obvious fix do not.
That is the judgment the FDE role depends on, and it is hard to see in a take-home project.
- Scenario
- Level 1: a local services company under strain
- Interviews
- 8 characters, with facts that only surface on good questions
- Scoring
- Rubric by phase, with named penalties
- Candidates
- Aspiring FDEs, verified by email
Join the employer waitlist
Tell us who you are and we will reach out when access opens. We use these details only to contact you about FDE Workbench.