In my experience, the common belief that “more teams mean faster delivery” is a fallacy that many organisations fall prey to. I’ve witnessed it time and again: a company decides to scale up, thinking that by simply adding more developers and teams, they’ll accelerate their release cycles. However, what often happens is the exact opposite. Instead of speeding up, everything grinds to a halt.
The Reality of Scaling Teams
When organisations rush to expand their teams, they often overlook a critical factor: how these teams are working together. Here are some of the pitfalls I’ve observed:
- Increased Dependencies: More teams can lead to more dependencies, which complicates coordination and slows down progress.
- Out of Sync: Teams that aren’t aligned in their goals and processes can find themselves working at cross purposes, leading to confusion and delays.
- Technical Debt: As teams scramble to deliver features, they may cut corners, resulting in a build-up of technical debt that can haunt them later.
- Coordination Overhead: Instead of focusing on delivering value, teams spend excessive time coordinating with one another, which detracts from their productivity.
The Naked Agility Approach
At Naked Agility, we believe that scaling should not merely be about increasing the number of teams. Instead, it’s about eliminating friction within the organisation. Here’s how we approach scaling:
- Structure for Success: We help organisations design their teams in a way that minimises dependencies. This means that teams can operate more independently, reducing the need for constant coordination.
- Quality Over Quantity: By focusing on maintaining high quality in deliverables, we ensure that teams are not just churning out features but are delivering real value.
- Right Patterns and Guardrails: We implement the right patterns and just enough structure to keep teams moving forward without overwhelming them with bureaucracy.
The Goal of Scaling
Ultimately, scaling should lead to better outcomes, not just larger teams. It’s about creating an environment where teams can thrive, innovate, and deliver value efficiently. If your organisation is struggling with the chaos that often accompanies scaling, I encourage you to reach out.
Let’s have a conversation about how we can help you scale effectively, without the headaches. Remember, it’s not about how many teams you have; it’s about how well they work together.
