2014-04-27

Making teams smarter

Tom Breur
27 April 2014

When you build any substantial piece of software, you are likely to need a team to deliver it. More work requires more resources. But in software development, smaller teams are burdened by less communication overhead. This leads to the commonly accepted notion that having a small group of developers, with the highest possible skill level you can find, is going to be more efficient.

Studies on programmer productivity invariably show that there is a rather large spread between “the best” and your average developer. This logically leads to the conclusion that you should try to find the best programmers money can buy. Their improved productivity should be worth it. Just don’t be tempted to fall for the trap of hiring rockstars.


There is a premium for raising skill levels: you will generate less overhead because on average you’ll get more done with less people. And since you will probably also have happier developers, you win-win all around. Invest in training. It pays off. In spades.

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