IBM Designation Hierarchy - Simplified?

It’s confusing at first but once you’re in, it makes more sense. Band 6 is entry level, then Band 7 is the base of the tech workforce people with 3–8 years experience. Band 8 is usually first-line managers or really senior tech folks. The title doesn’t always tell you the band though, that’s the tricky part.

Think of it like this: Band 6 = doers, Band 7 = planners + senior doers, Band 8+ = managers. Titles like 'Advisory Software Engineer' or 'Senior Associate' get slotted in based on band, not always experience. So two people with similar roles can have very different bands depending on how IBM slotted them in.

Yeah, IBM’s hierarchy is kinda wild at first. The most common bands in India are 6, 7, and 8. Band 6 is entry-level (freshers), Band 7 is where team leads and experienced devs sit, and Band 8 is for managers and senior ICs. Above that it gets into exec levels. Band 9, 10, etc., but those are less common unless you're in leadership.

In my experience, the designations don't always reflect the actual responsibilities. Some people with lower designations may be doing more complex work than those with higher designations. So do not assume they are above you. Keep your head down and get to work always

Someone mentioned that IBM is trying to flatten its hierarchy in some areas, by empowering individual contributors and reducing the number of management layers. This will give better work culture for the team but lower compensation for the individual.

A friend who works at IBM mentioned that the designation hierarchy can vary depending on the department and the country. He said that it's important to understand the hierarchy in your specific team and location.

Here's a simplified view: Associate System Engineer (ASE) -> System Engineer (SE) -> Technical Lead (TL) -> Manager -> Senior Manager -> Architect -> Senior Architect ->...

ASE -> SE -> TL -> Manager... and so on.