How to Size Teams for Optimal Productivity
One of the critical aspects of supporting an organization that commonly people don’t think about is the number of teams we should have and, more importantly, knowing how we should size them? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the number and size of teams will vary depending on the organization, its goals, and its culture. However, some general principles can be followed when designing teams.
As part of my role, one of my main objectives is to improve happiness and productivity levels. To do so often would require creating an environment that’s more supportive towards success while embracing new ideas without fear or uncertainty about them (especially if they’re wrong). Still, one essential aspect is to have the right team size and structure to support this.
There are many factors to consider when determining team sizes, the project type, the skillset of the team members, and the availability of resources. However, a few general guidelines can help you choose an appropriate team size.
In general, teams should be small enough to be agile and nimble but large enough to have the necessary skill set to complete the project. For example, a group of three developers may be too small to complete a complex web application, but a team of 20 developers would likely be too large and unwieldy.
Small teams are not teams.
Fewer than four members mean teams are not complete. As a result, they lack the balance and unity that make a group function. Without these critical elements, teams cannot reach their potential.
In my experience, I have found that a group of five to eight members is the perfect size for efficient and practical work. In addition, these groups can withstand interruptions from other tasks and context switching between maintenance or innovation because they are not too large, so there’s little risk of losing focus on any particular thing at once!
Reorganizing teams.
Once you have your team’s size and structure set, it’s important not to change it too frequently. Disruptions like this can lead to a loss of productivity as team members have to adjust to the new dynamics.
I’ve had to reorganize teams throughout my career for many reasons, most commonly due to hiring, whenever we want to speed up the development cycle, or whenever it turns impossible for the current teams to catch up with the increasing backlog. Nonetheless, I would not recommend hiring more people to boost productivity or repay the debt; I’ll talk about this and innovation in a separate thread.
If you need to make changes, do so gradually and thoughtfully. For example, if you require creating a new team, try adding new members to an existing one and split it into two instead of creating a brand new unit.
How large and how many teams are you currently working with now? Have you recently or have planned to organize your teams? Let me know in the comments below!
