I had the pleasure of hosting Allison McMillan, Founder of Tavlin Consulting and Fractional VP of Engineering, to discuss strategies for building high-performing engineering teams. With her experience in leadership roles at GitHub and QuarterPath, Allison brings valuable insights into enhancing communication and collaboration within engineering organizations.
We dive deep into the challenges of scaling engineering teams while maintaining high performance. Allison points out, "You don't want your engineering team operating in the same way they did when you were a small and scrappy startup." This shift requires a delicate balance between maintaining innovation and implementing the necessary structure.
“We asked teams about metrics and found that perception becomes reality. If somebody perceives something in a certain way, that is their reality - and until you can address or improve that perception, that's what impacts their performance. That's why SPACE metrics are so powerful - they take into account the human side of engineering.”
Here are the main takeaways from this episode:
High-performing teams require intentional building. Allison's three core hiring criteria - growth mindset, kindness, and collaboration - create the foundation for sustained excellence.
The definition of "high-performing" evolves as companies scale. What works for a startup (speed, scrappiness) must mature into more structured approaches that consider security, compliance, and scalable architecture.
Tech debt management is crucial for team morale. Rather than viewing it as an endless burden, teams need a clear visualization of impact and effort to make it actionable.
SPACE metrics provide more valuable insights than DORA metrics by incorporating developer experience and perception into performance measurement.
Meeting efficiency directly impacts developer productivity. The key isn't eliminating meetings entirely but making them purposeful and engaging, sometimes replacing days of async communication with focused synchronous discussions.
Effective contractor integration requires careful consideration of project isolation, team morale, and clear communication expectations.
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.
This episode is brought to you by Adeva, a global network of top developers connecting businesses with world-class talent. Whether you need to scale your team or bring an idea to life, Adeva empowers you to increase your engineering capacity without the overhead of traditional hiring.
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