When building a new team, do not create an empty team. Instead grow an existing team to a larger size and then bud the two teams off1. Build diverse teams, in terms of structure and seniority. Ideally you would want a team of Juniors and Mids, with 1-2 seniors playing an advisory. Treat work as an ability to challenge and grow a team. Do not just shunt hard problems to senior / experienced individuals.
While crafting a team, Rockstars and Teamwork. Be wary of splitting people across projects / teams, the switching costs and project overhead of multiple projects will result in less aggregate work being delivered2.
Team Sizing
- As a rule of thumb, teams should be about 6-8 during steady state1.
- Experienced leaders can lead approximately 5-7 people
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Compensating for different sized teams
- Too small (e.g. three engineers) teams are less resilient and under utilize leadership talent. Consider having a first time manager lead this team or have an experienced lead multiple smaller teams3.
- Too large (e.g. twelve engineers). Engineering leadership time will be pressed, they will likely have to make a decision between focusing on goals vs. focusing on team development. The team may or may not be more resilient, depending on if there is a key person risk3.
1. Larson, W. An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management. (Stripe Press, 2019).
2. Northrop, B. The Fallacy of Splitting Time. (2022).
3. Kolyaskin, K. First rule of the team: size. (2022).