The Standard 1-on-1 Agenda Template for Junior Engineers

Published on April 9, 2026

Managing junior developers is an entirely different game than managing seniors. You are not just managing their output; you are teaching them how to work.

The biggest mistake managers make with juniors is assuming they will ask for help when they need it. They won't. They will sit in silence and fight a Git merge conflict for three days out of fear of looking incompetent.

A good 1-on-1 with a junior engineer needs high structure, psychological safety, and explicit prompts to uncover where they are stuck. Here is the agenda I use to build up junior devs, and how to construct it.

1. The Confidence Check

Imposter syndrome hits junior developers the hardest. Before you talk about tickets, you need to gauge their stress levels and force them to acknowledge a win.

How to build it in Accordia: Drop a Pulse Check element at the top.

• Configure it with a 1-5 emoji scale. This gives you a fast read on if they are feeling overwhelmed.
• Below the pulse check, add a Short Text element with the prompt: "What is one thing you did this week that you are proud of?"
• Force them to fill this out. It builds confidence before diving into areas of improvement.

2. The "Spinning Wheels" Check

Juniors rarely know when to stop debugging and ask for a second pair of eyes. You have to explicitly ask them what is slowing them down, or they will hide it.

How to build it in Accordia: Add a single-select Checkbox element followed by a Long Text module.

• Set the checkbox prompt to: "Are you currently stuck on anything?" with simple "Yes" and "No" options.
• Use the Long Text field right below it. If they checked "Yes," have them write out exactly where they are blocked (e.g., environment setup, syntax, testing).
• Use this time to normalize being stuck. Remind them of the "15-minute rule" (if you're stuck for 15 minutes, ask for help).

3. The Learning Loop

A junior developer's primary job is to learn the codebase and the craft. If they aren't learning, they are just cheap labor. You need to track their knowledge acquisition.

How to build it in Accordia: Add a Long Text element.

• Set the prompt: "What is one technical concept or part of the codebase you want to understand better?"
• This prevents the 1-on-1 from just being about Jira tasks. It helps you identify where they need pair programming or targeted documentation.

4. Clear Direction

Juniors need explicit next steps. Ambiguity kills their momentum. Do not end the meeting with "keep up the good work."

How to build it in Accordia: Add the Action Item Checklist element at the bottom of every slide.

• During the meeting, use Accordia's Slideshow Mode to log hyper-specific action items.
• Instead of "fix the nav bug," write "Schedule a 30-minute pairing session with Sarah to review the nav state logic."
• The checklist items sync automatically. When the meeting wraps, they know exactly what to execute on next.