Scaling the set of softwares that are built in a startup, small-sized or mid-sized company is not enough for their success, they need to also scale their teams as they grow.

1. Scale Your Engineering Team
Hamidreza Soleimani
June 2023
Diginext Academy

2. We know how to scale our service, but
How to Scale your Team?

3. Solution: Spotify Model…?!

4. But …
Henrik Kniberg - Spotify Scrum Master

5. Actual Solution: It depends!
Then let’s examine a real world situation: Building an App

6. iOS Development
Smart Watch Development
Web Development
Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve
Early stages of building a software product

7. Android Development
iOS Development
Smart Watch Development
Web Development
Third Party Integration
AI Team
Big Data Team
Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve
One year later … … and we are
growing!

8. Android Development
iOS Development
Smart Watch Development
Web Development
Third Party Integration
Infrastructure Team
AI Team
Reporting Team Big Data Team
Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve Think
Build Scale
Improve

9. Good news: You are a corporate!
Bad news: You are a corporate!

10. Team Scaling Challenges
‫ﮐﺎﻫﺶ‬
‫اﻧﮕﯿﺰه‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﻧﻮآوری‬
‫ﮐﺎﻫﺶ‬
‫ﻣﺤﺼﻮل‬ ‫ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ‬

11. Your Employees are like your Users

12. Team Scaling Challenges
‫ﮐﺎﻫﺶ‬
‫اﻧﮕﯿﺰه‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﻧﻮآوری‬
‫ﮐﺎﻫﺶ‬
‫ﻣﺤﺼﻮل‬ ‫ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ‬
‫ﮐﺎﻫﺶ‬
‫اﻧﺴﺎﻧﯽ‬ ‫ﴎﻣﺎﯾﻪ‬

13. Solution: Autonomous Teams
Freedom on how to do something
towards company objectives

14. ‫ﺑﺎﻧﮏ‬ ‫و‬ ‫آﺑﯽ‬ ‫ﭼﺎرﭼﻮب‬ ‫از‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫ﺑﺮﻧﺎﻣﻪ‬ ‫زﺑﺎن‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﺳﱫ‬ ‫اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ‬
‫اﺳﺘﻔﺎده‬ ‫زرﺷﮑﯽ‬ ‫ﻧﻮﯾﺴﯽ‬
‫آﻧﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺑﻪ‬ ‫ﭼﻮن‬ ‫ﮐﻨﯿﻢ‬‫ﻣﯽ‬
‫دارﯾﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﺴﻠﻂ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﻋﻼﻗﻪ‬
‫و‬ ‫ﺷﺪﯾﻢ‬ ‫ﺟﺪا‬ ‫اﻟﻒ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬ ‫از‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫و‬ ‫دادﯾﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﺸﮑﯿﻞ‬ ‫را‬ ‫ﺟﯿﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
‫ﻧﻮﯾﺴﯽ‬ ‫ﺑﺮﻧﺎﻣﻪ‬ ‫زﺑﺎن‬ ‫روی‬
‫از‬ ‫ﺗﺮ‬‫ﴎﯾﻊ‬ ‫ﮐﻪ‬ ‫ﯾﺸﻤﯽ‬
‫ﮐﺎر‬ ‫ﻫﺴﺖ‬ ‫زرﺷﮑﯽ‬
.‫ﮐﻨﯿﻢ‬‫ﻣﯽ‬
‫اﻟﻒ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
‫ﺟﯿﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
‫ﺷﺪن‬ ‫ﴎﯾﻊ‬
‫ﺗﯿﻤﯽ‬ ‫درون‬ ‫ﺗﻮﺳﻌﻪ‬
‫و‬ ‫ﻧﻮآوری‬ ‫رﻓﱳ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻻ‬
‫ﮐﺎرﮐﻨﺎن‬ ‫اﻧﮕﯿﺰه‬
‫ﻣﺎﻧﺪﮔﺎری‬
‫ﻫﺎی‬‫ﴎﻣﺎﯾﻪ‬
‫اﻧﺴﺎﻧﯽ‬
Autonomous Team Pros.

15. ‫و‬ ‫آﺑﯽ‬ ‫ﺗﻮﺳﻌﻪ‬ ‫ﭼﺎرﭼﻮب‬ ‫از‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫زﺑﺎن‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﺳﱫ‬ ‫اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻧﮏ‬
‫زرﺷﮑﯽ‬ ‫ﻧﻮﯾﺴﯽ‬ ‫ﺑﺮﻧﺎﻣﻪ‬
‫ﮐﻨﯿﻢ‬‫ﻣﯽ‬ ‫اﺳﺘﻔﺎده‬
‫در‬ ‫اﻟﻒ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬ ‫ﺑﺎ‬ ‫دارﯾﻢ‬ ‫ﻧﯿﺎز‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫زﺑﺎن‬ ‫ﻧﻪ‬ ‫اﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺷﯿﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﻤﺎس‬
‫ﺑﻠﺪ‬ ‫زرﺷﮑﯽ‬ ‫ﻧﻮﯾﺴﯽ‬‫ﺑﺮﻧﺎﻣﻪ‬
‫ﺟﻠﺴﺎت‬ ‫زﻣﺎن‬ ‫ﻧﻪ‬ ‫و‬ ‫ﻫﺴﺘﯿﻢ‬
‫دارﯾﻢ‬ ‫ﻣﺸﱰک‬
‫اﻟﻒ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
‫ﺟﯿﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
‫ﻧﻈﻤﯽ‬‫ﺑﯽ‬ ‫اﻓﺰاﯾﺶ‬
‫ﺑﯿﻦ‬ ‫ﺗﻄﺎﺑﻖ‬ ‫ﻋﺪم‬ ‫و‬
‫ﻫﺎ‬‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
‫ﻓﺮاﯾﻨﺪ‬ ‫ﺷﺪن‬ ‫ﮐﻨﺪ‬
‫ﺳﺎزﻣﺎﻧﯽ‬ ‫ﺗﻮﺳﻌﻪ‬
‫دال‬ ‫ﺗﯿﻢ‬
Autonomous Team Cons.

16. Solution: Aligned Teams
Alignment = Intent + Rational + Constraints

17. Intent: We need to cross the river
Rational: There are more food on the other side
Constraints: Don’t cut any trees
What? Why? Restrictions on How?
Alignment = Intent + Rational + Constraints

18. Do what I
say!
Do
whatever
Autonomy
Alignment
False Dichotomy!

19. High Autonomy
Low Autonomy
Low
Alignment
High
Alignment
We need to
cross the river
Build a
bridge!
We need to
cross the river
Figure out
how!
‫ﻣﺪﯾﺮﯾﺘﯽ‬ ‫ﺧﺮده‬ ‫ﺳﺎزﻣﺎن‬
‫ﺗﻔﺎوﺗﯽ‬‫ﺑﯽ‬ ‫ﻓﺮﻫﻨﮓ‬
‫ﮐﺎرآﻓﺮﯾﻨﯽ‬ ‫ﺳﺎزﻣﺎن‬
‫ﻧﻈﻤﯽ‬‫ﺑﯽ‬ ‫ﻓﺮﻫﻨﮓ‬
Hope someone
is working on
the river
problem…
‫ﺧﻮدﮐﺎﻣﻪ‬ ‫ﺳﺎزﻣﺎن‬
‫ﻃﻠﺒﯽ‬ ‫راﺣﺖ‬ ‫ﻓﺮﻫﻨﮓ‬
‫ﻧﻮآور‬ ‫ﺳﺎزﻣﺎن‬
‫ﻫﻤﮑﺎری‬ ‫ﺑﺮ‬ ‫ﻣﺒﺘﻨﯽ‬ ‫ﻓﺮﻫﻨﮓ‬
Aligned Autonomy

20. Alignment is not enough to enable Autonomy

21. Autonomy is enabled by
Alignment AND Competence

22. Competence means
Shared Work Beliefs AND Technical Excellence

23. @hmdrezs
Thanks!
Stay Autonomous, Aligned and Competent