Finding balance: How to build processes that help not hurt your engineering team

Processes can help engineering teams operate more smoothly and give engineers a greater sense of ownership over their work.

But often, process is too heavy-handed and has the opposite effect, slowing teams down, creating the wrong incentives, and demotivating engineers. So how do you strike the right balance? 

There’s no universal solution, as it hinges on factors like team size, work type, and collaboration methods. Understanding team dynamics is key to implementing effective processes that drive success. 

Process isn’t static either; it must evolve with the team’s changing needs. Flexibility and adaptability lead to better outcomes for individuals and the team as a whole.

In this session, Julianna will explore various examples, from cases where light processes hindered velocity and culture, to cases of excessive, heavy-handed process and strategies for adjusting course. Culture and process are intertwined; understanding your team’s culture is key to making sure that the process you’re implementing will match how the team operates and not be too at odds with that culture. 

We’ll delve into planning processes, transitioning from high-level plans to weekly execution. That includes emphasizing the tech spec phase of any project to build solid execution plans that foster accountability over the timeline and outcomes. But you often still need to balance that with some checks and balances, so we’ll talk through how to get engineers to build their own sprints and measure velocity without it feeling overbearing. Ultimately, what’s most important is that engineers have clear goals and expectations and feel ownership over the work that they’re doing.