How to Build a Successful Development Team

If you are a development manager or an IT project manager and you have the mission of building a development team, the first thing I would like to tell you is that you have a great opportunity, since often you do not get the chance to build a team, especially from scratch. Doing this well can make your job easier for many years. A mentor of mine told me a few decades ago that the job of systems manager was the easiest in the world... if you have the right team.

In this post I will refer specifically to a development area, thinking of a team that will have to develop software continuously, across several projects (and not for one in particular, where, although the recommendations are almost the same, there may be some differences).

Tip number one: Keep your development team small.

Big is a relative concept, but the point is that it is much better to hire a few very good people than many average ones. The truth is that, despite methodologies and frameworks, there is still a lot of art in computing, and, therefore, you need very talented people, not an army. Creating exceptional software is more like making a great work of art than building a skyscraper (even if we would like to believe otherwise). Therefore, try to put together the smallest team that can work well with the most competent people.

Tip number two: Watch out for the Stars

If what you are looking for is a team, make sure you have very good people, even stars, but make sure that, if you have stars, they will work well as a team. A team where everyone is a star can create some complications, since not all the work will always be innovative and interesting enough for the stars to feel motivated and stimulated, and above all, if you have several stars working on the same problem they can get stuck, each defending their own position and idea of what the best solution is. A team also requires people who do the work, regardless of whether it is boring or mechanical. This does not mean that a team cannot be made up of all stars; in fact, the greatest achievements are sometimes only possible with teams like that, but you have to make sure they will work well as a team and that the work is organized so that each of them can shine in their own area, that they share the vision, your vision, and that they all aim at the same big goal.

Tip number three: Look for diversity in your team

Beyond looking for people who know one technology or another in order to have the whole necessary skillset, you must take other factors into account. Some developers are good at the backend, others at the front end. Some build dreamy user interfaces, others heavy processes full of complex logic. There are creative and innovative programmers, and there are those who like the conventional. The variety goes even further: ideally, look for people with diverse backgrounds (what a way to use anglicisms, I know) and experiences, who can contribute diverse ideas and solutions. Look for diversity in seniority, race, gender, etc. That said, avoid “fault lines”. For example, it is good to have women, senior people and people from another country on the team, but a team with 3 young Chinese women and 3 older local men will probably end up as two teams. The ideal is to have diversity, but without it creating gaps between two subgroups because of a close affinity among the members of each subgroup and little between the subgroups.

Tip number four: Evaluate well before hiring

If there is one mistake I have seen many times when building a team, it is trying to do it quickly and choosing from a very small pool. The pressure of having to find many developers for the team is great, deadlines run out, and you end up hiring the first people who come along in order to have the team complete. Do not give in to this temptation; devote all the resources and energy you can to searching for and properly evaluating your future team of programmers. This team may be with you for years, so any effort to get the best is worth it. Evaluate them well; if they are developers, make sure they really are good at programming, that they have a real natural talent for it. Evalart's coding tests can help you evaluate and confirm that the programmers you are going to bring onto your team are good and are among the best out there. This post contains specific tips for the selection process: 5 Tips for Recruiting the Best Developers.

Tip number five: Be clear about the culture of the team you want, and look for that.

I have seen that the best development teams tend to share a mystique, a work culture where excellence and results to be proud of are sought, where the team's work is valued and each person's ability is respected. A culture where mistakes are not punished, but are learned from (formally). Where the benefits of achievements also reach the team members and where they feel valued. Where there is a sense of ownership and pride in what is done. Try to build your team with people who will fit in with and contribute to the culture you want in your team, and make these values clear from the first interview.