A promotion cycle is the structured process by which a company evaluates and decides on level advancements for employees, typically conducted 1-2 times per year. It involves manager nominations, written promotion packets documenting the employee's case, calibration sessions across managers to ensure consistent standards, decisions made by leadership review committees, and resulting title changes and compensation adjustments to match the new band. The cycle is one of the higher-stakes processes at growth-stage companies because promotions affect compensation, career trajectory, employee perception of fairness, and retention. It is a discipline that scales poorly when handled ad-hoc and produces significant operational value w...