Insights on Smooth Project Delivery

In my experience working with various teams, one particular group has consistently stood out. This team not only delivered projects smoothly but often did so within the set timelines. Remarkably, they didn't need to work over weekends, actively participated in our learning sessions, and maintained a high level of enthusiasm.

Upon closer evaluation, I discovered the reasons behind their success. Initially, I thought it was because the majority of the engineers (three out of five) were full-stack developers, fostering a holistic approach. However, another team with a similar composition of five full-stack engineers wasn't performing as well in terms of timelines, although their quality was comparable.

Digging deeper, I realized that the smaller team of five members, let's call them Team Red, excelled because of their collaborative approach. The Project Managers (PMs) included at least one engineer in sessions with designers, and sometimes even during the wireframing stage. Additionally, designers contributed by helping to quality-assure (QA) the release candidates.

Key Instances Where Team Red Saved Time

1. Efficient Product Specification and Design Review

While reviewing product specs and initial Figma mocks, Team Red's engineers flagged an issue early on. They pointed out that adding specific information upfront on the home screen would significantly increase development time. If the content remained nested within the flow, the services could infer the information smartly, eliminating the need for additional service calls and preventing a spike in service throughput.

Although the designs were visually appealing and likely to be approved by stakeholders, considering the impact and effort, they wouldn't have been prioritized for development. If they had been, the implementation would have turned several L1 services into critical ones, unnecessarily complicating the system.

2. Clear Drafting of Edge Cases

Team Red meticulously drafted edge cases on the Figma board. This practice gave designers a clear understanding of potential issues, allowing them to create appropriate screens and component states. Consequently, engineers could avoid cutting corners and accurately address what went wrong. A bonus outcome was that explaining errors to designers required engineers to simplify their language, leading to more user-friendly end-user messages.

Embracing Conway's Law

This effective collaboration could be seen as an example of Conway's Law, which suggests that organizations design systems that mirror their communication structures. Learning from Team Red's culture, we have started replicating their approach across all our teams. We will continue to monitor and update you with further insights as we implement these changes.