5 korrents from this piece · 1 of them a turn
Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.
Their wordsManagers should support 6-8 engineers. This gives them enough time for active coaching, coordinating and furthering their team’s mission by writing strategies, leading change, and so on.
Their wordsOncall rotations want 8 engineers. For production oncall responsibilities, I’ve found that two-tier 24/7 support requires eight folks.
Their wordsSmall teams (<4) are not teams. I’ve sponsored quite a few 1-2 person teams, and each time I’ve regretted it. To repeat: I have regretted it every single time.
Recalls holdingI’ve historically done this myself, but I’ve moved towards innovating within existing teams.
Their words nowThis requires very deliberate decision making and some bravery, but in exchange you’ll get higher morale, a culture of learning, and avoid creating a two-tiered class system of innovators and maintainers.
Their wordsTo create a new team, grow an existing team to eight to ten, and then bud into two teams of four or five. Never create empty teams.