Are you an Engineering Manager or CTO of a startup that’s growing rapidly? As your startup begins to gain traction, you’ll quickly realize that you can’t do everything yourself. At some point, you’re going to need to start building out a team of engineers to help you turn your vision into reality. But where do you begin? And how do you make sure you’re building the right team with the right skills? In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how to scale fast with a dedicated software development team. Let’s take a look.

 Preparing to Hire

When you are scaling your software development team, it is important to prepare for the hire. This means that you should plan your product infrastructure and architecture, outline your team structure and roles and responsibilities, and pay close attention to project and product management. You should also become agile and get your finances in order. Additionally, putting the right technology and processes in place is crucial for success.

The first step is to assess your own skills and knowledge. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What are you not so good at? Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses will help you determine what kinds of engineers you need on your team. Do you need someone who is strong in front-end development? Or someone who is more focused on back-end development? Do you need someone who knows how to work with databases? Asking yourself these kinds of questions will help you zero in on the specific skill sets that you need on your team.

Some typical missteps to avoid in preparing to scale with a dedicated software development team include:

•       Division of teams by areas of expertise
•       Long sprints
•       Hiring people only for hard skills
•       Thinking that more developers mean faster development
•       Lack of communication and protocols in place

The Right Skills

Once you have prepared for the hire, it is time to start the hiring process.  When building a distributed software team, it is important to be flexible on requirements and competitive on salary and benefits. 

When you’re looking for a dedicated software development team, you’ll want to make sure that they have the right skills for the job. Some of the skills that are important for software developers include:

• A holistic approach: Developers need to have a holistic approach to the product, so they can see the product as a whole. This takes a certain level of experience and maturity in their career.

• State-of-the-art Programming Paradigms: This is a must-have topic to explore in the hiring process.  Whether it is Object-oriented programming (OOP), functional programming or imperative programming, exploring their preferences offers a good indication of experience level and the theoreticals driving decision-making and design that can affect the overall product.
• Algorithms and data structures: Algorithms are used to solve problems, and data structures are used to store information in an organized way. Without these two things, it would be very difficult to write efficient code.
• System design: In order to scale your software development team, you’ll need developers who know how to design systems that can handle a large amount of traffic.
• Databases: A database is a collection of data that can be accessed by computers. Developers need to know how to design databases so that they can store and retrieve information efficiently.
• Networking: Networking is the process of connecting computers and devices so that they can communicate with each other. Developers need to know how to set up networks so that information can be shared between different parts of the system.
• Security: Security is important for any system, but it’s especially important for systems that handle sensitive data. Developers need to know how to secure systems so that they can protect confidential information from being accessed by unauthorized people.
• Soft Skills and Team Fit: Finding developers that integrate well into your team and can communicate and work well together is key, but difficult to screen for. Incorporate mentoring/pairing with a senior team member and address communication procedures in the onboarding process.

Where to Find Software Developers

Now that you know what skills are important for software developers, you may be wondering where you can find them. There are many places where you can find talented software developers, including online job boards, hiring platforms, coding bootcamps, and online directories. Some of the sourcing solutions require more or less effort on your part.

First and foremost, it is important to recognize that not all positions are well-suited for job boards or bootcamps, which function better for entry-level or junior positions. But if your needs are more specialized or advanced, then you may need to look elsewhere for the right fit.

Ultimately, it is best to carefully consider your unique needs and preferences when choosing how to search for your next dedicated software development team. Finding a partner that can help you source and identify software developers with the right level of expertise and send you a shortlist of candidates will save you hours of time and frustration of evaluating resumes in order to find just a few potential hires.

Finding the Right Partner to Help You

Another option is to find a partner to help you fulfill your engineering needs and provide ongoing support for your dedicated software development team. This can be a great option if you don’t have the time or resources to invest in training or hiring your own team of engineers. When sourcing a partner, it’s important to find a company that shares your company’s values and vision. You want to make sure that they understand your business goals and are committed to helping you achieve them.

Finding the right partner can be both challenging and stressful. After all, there are a lot of unknowns when working with a remote team – from compliance requirements to communication challenges to sourcing local talent. In addition, you want a partner that is going to support and reinforce your company culture and values. At Howdy, we believe that the key to success is partnering with dedicated teams on the ground who have access to the best local talent and who follow a proven process for vetting only those candidates that fit your needs.

We also understand that managing a remote team can be a lot of work, which is why our contract management services include everything you need to handle your contracts and legal paperwork related to foreign operations. Additionally, our logistics management services ensure that you have access to office space, equipment, company swag, and other perks as needed throughout your partnership with us. And with dedicated support from senior engineering staff and dedicated local operations teams in each Latin American office, we offer the backbone you need to successfully manage your remote operations abroad and implement your company culture on the ground. So if you’re looking for a partner vendor that truly understands what you need when it comes to hiring and managing software developers, look no further than Howdy!

Keeping Up Productivity and Quality

Once you’ve found the right team of engineers, it’s important to set them up for success. This includes providing them with access to the right tools and technologies and ongoing support, as well as giving them clear instructions and expectations.

Additional tips to smooth the process end ensure a high-functioning software dev team:

• Implement code reviews.
• Use collaborative working practices such as pair programming.
• Apply real-time reporting and communication systems.
•  Maintain high coding standards.
• Encourage skills development.
•  Incorporate team building, including hackathons.
• Use mentors to support quality programming and skills growth. Howdy offers Engineering Managers in their offices to support your team.

When everyone is on the same page, it’ll be easier for your team to produce high-quality work that meets your standards. By following these tips, you can successfully scale your software development with a dedicated software development team while keeping up productivity and quality. 

 Looking to build a dedicated software development team for your business?

Howdy helps US tech companies hire and manage software engineers in Latin America. Our engineers are co-located in one of our seven offices located in US time zones allowing a level of employee retention, team culture, and communication that no other “hiring” platform can provide.

The number one issue with remote hiring platforms is that it’s difficult to build teams of remote product stakeholders, causing low engagement, high turnover (average 9 month tenure), and a mercenary culture.

Register with Howdy today and start building the dedicated software development team that your business deserves!