Great software comes from great teams. After building multiple engineering organizations from the ground up, we’ve developed a framework for creating teams that are both productive and happy.
Hiring for Impact
We hire for three things in order:
- Attitude — Willingness to learn and collaborate
- Aptitude — Problem-solving ability and technical curiosity
- Experience — Relevant domain knowledge
Team Structure
Small, autonomous teams consistently outperform large ones:
- 4-6 engineers per team — Small enough to stay agile
- Clear ownership — Each team owns specific business domains
- Reduced dependencies — Teams can ship without waiting on others
Communication Patterns
Effective communication is the foundation of high-performing teams:
- Async-first — Write things down, use sync for decisions
- Daily standups — 10 minutes, no longer
- Weekly demos — Share progress, get feedback early
Continuous Improvement
The best teams are always getting better:
- Retrospectives — Honest reflection every iteration
- Technical discussions — Regular time for architecture and design
- Learning budgets — Time and resources for growth
Building a great engineering team takes intentional effort, but the results — in productivity, quality, and retention — make it worthwhile.