How can you ensure your team of developers works efficiently and effectively?

Team goals must be connected to company strategy with cristal clear OKRs based on growth (revenue, user adoption, i.e) and then transform into projects with outcomes capable to provide success metrics not only deliverables, and also how those can impact business. On average, teams think on project deliverables only, and forget how to measure results. In the era of data, it needs to be our allied to follow the outcomes in the business growth. The digital trail is not only to provide the connection with growth, but also to provide strategies for future versions. When you breakdown your project and deliverables with metrics in your acceptance criteria, it's easy to demonstrate the value to business and the team.

- Make sure the team in involved from the beginning of a project with clear requirements. - Continuously provide them with a project overview and status to allow a better communication and better handovers with the testers. - Follow up regularly with documentation and information reliability in order to gain time and avoid unclarities. - Never guess, always be sure that the information you have is the right one with the proper stakeholder.

Well stated. It is important to make sure how each of there tasks and deliverables are important for achieving the project goals. Walk through the overall plan do that each of them understand the project timeline and commitments. Define more clear deliverables from each role, eg. as a backend developer, security auditor, UX designer etc.,

I agree, if you want something to be well done, you need to assign clear goals, state clearly what’s needs to be done, how it supposed to be done, remember that the team is not compose by robots, and explain the importance of the task, this will lead the expectation regarding the timeline and quality levels to be also comprehended by the team.

The level of detail you need to go into may vary based on factors such as the seniority of the team and familiarity with the problem space. But in any case I always try to let the team know the overarching goals of the project, how it fits into our strategy, and what quality or deadline expectations are. From there I may go deeper into specific project aspects and definitions depending on whether that’s clearly defined and needed for the individual.

Especially these days where most organizations are adopting the fully remote or hybrid work structure, collaborative tools like Jira or Trello would help the team to stay on track, and scrum practices like standup meetings and sprint review would ensure efficient and effective collaboration.

It’s also important to identify how stakeholders external to your team will interact through the process. Are they in standup? Are there product demos or other checkins? This often helps give those dependent on your teams deliverables confidence in your processes.

Usage of the right tools to align with the process and expectations is super important. Keeping the team focused on the task and reduce redundant tasks and activities improves the overall productivity.

Software development evolves so quickly and the teams/squads need to catch that velocity in order to stay in the line with the new technology stacks and the requirements coming from product/business. Agile really provides that velocity and the most important two items in the agile methodology is to move forward as a team/squad and open communication lines both internally and externally.

I don't see using agile tools and methodologies is a key to success. Agile is a powerful tool to implement complex projects, but is not exactly the only way to achieve the goals.

It is very important to provide an environment where self-improvement is one of the important items for developers. Continuous improvement is really important in software development sector as it evolves day by day and a developer needs to catch that velocity to satisfy his/her own needs. Another way is to create positive debate mechanism within the teams/squads to provide the continuous improvement field. Also these trainings should be aligned with the company's, squad's and developers goals to make them more reliable.

One thing I have found useful in fostering a culture of learning is "Knowledge Sharing". In one team of Software Developers, that I managed, I brought in a concept of shared learning and knowledge sharing. So each team member picked up a topic, studied it and shared the learnings in a discussion with the team. For example one topic was C++11. One of the team member studied the standard and presented it to the team. This followed up with a discussion on how the new features of the standard can be introduced into our projects. This all happened with the team owning the sharing of topics, preparing it and discussing it.

Being in constant training is undoubtedly a reason to stay up to date and expand skills, which will strengthen the person's capacity, and at the same time strengthen the work team. In this way, being aligned with the pursuit of objectives

One effective strategy to embed this culture is to incorporate learning achievements into the regular appraisal process. Also, allocate specific hours or schedule dedicated time for learning activities within the workday so that employees don't feel pressured to extend their work hours to accommodate learning. This will help to balance their workload and growth opportunities.

Fostering a culture of learning and innovation has been a transformative journey for me. Embracing curiosity and continuous improvement not only fuels personal growth but propels the entire team forward. In this dynamic environment, mistakes are viewed as opportunities to learn, and diverse perspectives are celebrated as catalysts for innovation. Encouraging a mindset of experimentation instills resilience, pushing boundaries to discover inventive solutions. This culture not only nurtures creativity but also builds a resilient, adaptable team prepared to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of challenges.

Data is everything. Every team is different. First established your goals, ideally business outcome. Define the KPIs that would help you achieve those goals. For example, how long it takes for a PR to be approved would give you an indication of the effectiveness of the team. Then, keep track of the KPIs over time and set a new goals. Note that a bad KPI tells you a story and give you pointers to investigate but there are no perfect KPIs. The danger is for the team to play the system and give you amazing KPIs but at the end you do not achieve the performance you are looking for.

Defining and measuring progress and success is critical. Team needs to have a view of where they stand and what could help them to be successful.

It is very important to have meaningful data while monitoring and improving the performance. Talking with numbers has always positive impact on developers. Another important point is to put challenging goals but these goals also should be reachable. That will improve your skills and process step by step which is a very effective method to improve the individual and overall performance.

When measuring the performance, one must be aware that KPIs are usually just data that says nothing without context. It is important to turn this data into information by understanding the whole system. A typical example in agile are the Story points. This measurement by itself will tell us nothing, it is just a number, so more interesting is to track the evolution of story points along the time. That gives us already a trend in performance, but even that, must be deeply analyzed to know what are the real causes of this trend. Is the team really evolving or just doing bigger estimations to protect themselves? Is everyone collaborating or just a couple people solve most of the issues? Don't look only at the numbers, but to the whole system.

This is pivotal, monitoring the progress towards the established goals allow the manager to promptly make the necessary adjustments. Feedbacks are windows of the soul and the base criteria needs to be consistent, the manger needs to demonstrate a consistent way of thinking, not something that varies for each developer, however this doesn’t mean that the personalities needs to be ignored, is beneficial for the manager identify this specificities in order to enhance productivity

I am totally agree with this, simple appreciation like "Good Job", "Thanks for your contributions" make much different to team motivation.

I' m agree with that, additionally, fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment is crucial. Encourage open communication, teamwork, and the exchange of ideas among team members. Providing opportunities for skill development and growth can further enhance their productivity and job satisfaction. Ultimately, creating a positive culture where individuals feel heard, valued, and challenged contributes to sustained team success.

As I have always said, you should congratulate in public, and provide opportunities for improvement in private. Rewards will always feed our soul, and help us stay committed to our work

Concordo especialmente em rela??o ao feedback que deve ser constante de mantém as pessoas focadas e principalmente direcionadas ao que é realmente importante para a sua evolu??o.

Recognizing and rewarding achievements is not just a gesture; it's the heartbeat of a thriving environment. In my experience, acknowledging accomplishments fuels motivation and reinforces a sense of value. When efforts are celebrated, it creates a positive cycle of enthusiasm, inspiring individuals to push their limits. Moreover, these recognitions build a culture that appreciates hard work and innovation, fostering a collaborative spirit. From my perspective, the ripple effect is profound—boosting morale, enhancing team dynamics, and ultimately contributing to sustained success.

"For me, this is the key point! The team and the individuals within it need to be true to themselves. They should feel a sense of ownership, not only in their professional lives but also in their personal lives. Autonomy is crucial, allowing them to achieve a genuine balance between work and personal life. Team members are human beings who, to be fulfilled, should have a stable family life, a meaningful job, and financial stability. The company, and especially its leaders, should possess the capability to assist them by providing the necessary tools and support to achieve this balance."

Even though flexible work arrangements is the way to go, it is also essential to address the challenge of defining clear boundaries between work and personal life. To this end, companies should establish specific policies and guidelines to help employees manage this balance effectively. For example, a common issue observed is that employees often feel compelled to work extra hours or overcompensate while working from home, partly due to a sense of guilt or the need to demonstrate productivity. So, companies should establish norms that promote a healthy work culture either by setting boundaries for work hours, encouraging regular breaks, or fostering an environment where quality of work is valued over quantity.

Working is not the only source of life in our lives. We have our personal lives, our families, friends and a life outside of the work. Balancing the workload is really the key factor here and it can be achieved with true leaders, well-organized plan, and a real squad/team. The well-being of each individual should be supported by the organization as continuous improvement is supported. Without well-being colleagues, there will be burn-outs, imposter syndromes which lead to lose the great value within the organization, people.

We must work so that the Employee Engagement policy is developed in companies, and in this way, balance work life with personal life

Balancing workload and well-being is a delicate dance that requires mindfulness and self-awareness. As I navigate the demands of my daily tasks, I've come to realize that achieving success shouldn't come at the expense of my mental and physical health. Striking this equilibrium involves setting realistic priorities, learning to delegate, and recognizing the importance of breaks. In my experience, a well-balanced approach not only enhances productivity but also safeguards against burnout. Prioritizing well-being isn't a luxury; it's an essential investment that pays dividends in sustained performance and overall satisfaction.

Complementing my last commebt about well-being, my view, what really matters for the success is the focus on the people. Team members and individuals should have the freedom to be authentic and true to themselves. It's crucial for them to feel a sense of ownership, not just in their jobs but in their lives, granting them the autonomy to strike a genuine balance between personal and professional spheres. Recognizing that team members are humans with families and a need for financial stability, the company and its leaders should actively support them by providing the necessary tools and assistance to achieve this holistic well-being.