De-Siloing Our Engineering Team
Our engineering team, though small, is incredibly diverse in skills and responsibilities. We have front-end specialists and back-end wizards. Each member has their own unique space where they create, innovate, and problem-solve. Each week, every team member gets their own spotlight during our engineering show-and-tell, where they get to showcase what they've built.
However, we noticed that this siloed approach, while productive, didn't promote the level of understanding and empathy we strive for in our team.
Instead of showcasing their work in our weekly demos, they worked on a new system to start presenting each other's work. This innovative approach was inspired by a suggestion from one of our valued users (shoutout Stephen Atwell!) who attended our offsite event in San Mateo in October 2023.
Championing collaboration while ensuring uninterrupted work
This new approach means that each of the engineers are stepping into the shoes of another team member and exploring their work. It's a strategic move designed to foster deeper understanding, empathy, and collaboration among our team members. By diving into each other's work, we're gaining insights into challenges and triumphs that we might not have been aware of before.
Moreover, this process is helping us to become more versatile as a team. If a team member is unavailable or in paid time off (PTO), others can easily step in and pick up where they left off. This flexibility is invaluable in maintaining our pace of innovation and ensuring that we deliver the best possible product to our users.
Furthermore, this shift has fostered a culture of continuous learning within our team. We're all getting the chance to expand our skill sets, understand different perspectives, and grow both individually and as a team.
See how our first demo applying this new approach of de-siloing engineering work went when you click here.