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Ajay Shrivastava · · 6 min readHow to form a tech team that actually solves problems and not just builds features
Early 2015 at OYO, we experimented a new model of collaboration in software development called the Solver Teams (STs). Over the year, we shipped dozens of products and hundreds of features using this method. It’s an impactful execution mechanism that enables the quick production of multiple features every week and fosters positive synergy and camaraderie across business, product, design, and technology teams.
The prevalent software development model in the industry
In the model many software development teams follow today, the onus is on the individuals in teams upstream to prepare a frozen and locked contract document. This document will be the foundation for the plan and the work downstream. Any changes to the contract later impacts the plan for all the following stages, so they are strongly discouraged irrespective of their merits.
Issues of this prevalent model
Here are some of the issues that the prevalent software development model has:
No team spirit (aka your loss is my gain or the blame game)
Any change to the contract reflects incompetence of the person who created it earlier. This gives an opportunity for downstream guys to justify delays and for upstream guys to justify why their goals were not met.
Defensive organization
The euphoria of shipping features is replaced by the fear of making any mistakes that others can catch and blame him for.
Analysis paralysis instead of experimentation
Solver teams sail and sink together
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