Growing a technical team in today’s competitive landscape can be a daunting task. The demand for skilled developers is high, making recruitment and retention challenging. However, with the right strategies, it is possible to scale your development team successfully.
We are a UK-based technical team that has gained significant experience in scaling our own team (from 6 to 20 members in the past 3 years). Additionally, we have helped businesses scale their teams. We believe it is crucial to not only build the necessary technical systems to drive their businesses forward but also empower our clients to independently grow their internal teams when the time comes.
Here, we will explore various approaches to adding scale to your team and getting through that backlog of projects more effectively.
Recruiting your Internal Team
Recruiting internally and investing in your team members is a long-term strategy that yields excellent results. By supporting and developing your team, you foster their investment in your business and its long-term goals. This approach creates loyalty and encourages career growth within your company. To recruit effectively, you’ll need to generate CVs, so you might need to leverage platforms like Larajobs or work with recruitment agencies, this comes with an additional cost to consider. Networking within the developer community and attending local events such as BrumPHP can also help you find like-minded individuals.
Building a permanent team requires time and careful consideration. Longer notice periods and the need for consistent work streams mean this approach isn’t a quick fix for short-term needs. Crafting compelling job descriptions and conducting thorough interviews are essential to finding the right candidates who align with your company values. We try and maintain a relaxed interview process and assess technical abilities through pair programming sessions and this has proved to be highly effective.
Contracting Developers
Contracted resources is another option to consider for scaling your team. You can hire freelancers on a fixed-term contract or work with agencies that provide team augmentation models. Freelancers bring independent expertise, while team augmentation allows you to engage with a company providing multiple resources. Contractors are a quick solution for short-term needs and are usually costed on a daily or hourly rate.
While the overall cost of using contracted resources may be higher than employing permanent team members, it offers much greater flexibility to scale up, or down during quiet periods. Finding a trusted partner is crucial, and recommendations or thorough searches can help identify the right freelancer or agency partner. Consider factors such as skill set, willingness to collaborate, time differences and language barrier (for international contractors), and compatibility with your hardware and software. Collaborating closely with contractors and providing them access to your systems is essential for seamless integration.
Outsourcing Projects
Outsourcing an entire project is a way to increase your team’s capacity without scaling your internal team directly. With this approach, the chosen partner company takes responsibility for the development of the application, including design, testing, planning, and delivery. You can opt for a fixed-cost or time-and-materials costing model, each with its pros and cons. A fixed-cost model requires detailed planning upfront, while time-and-materials allows for quicker production but may require adjustments as the project progresses.
When fully outsourcing a project, your partner should work more autonomously, with occasional touchpoints to demonstrate progress and address queries. Spending time upfront to ensure your partner understands your business goals and challenges is essential. This can be accomplished through a discovery phase, enabling detailed planning before the project commences. Outsourcing projects alleviates pressure from your internal team and helps overcome resource constraints.
Summary
Scaling your development team requires careful consideration of various options. While internal recruitment offers long-term benefits, alternatives like contractors and outsourcing projects can provide quick solutions and additional resources. Assess your specific needs, timeline, and budget to determine the best approach for your team. If you need assistance with Laravel or Vue.js projects, Jump24 is here to support you with technical interviews, job descriptions, team augmentation, or end-to-end application development.