What are the magic ingredients that make tech teams work?

In a digital era it is crucial to have conversations about what makes tech teams thrive and achieve exceptional results. Afterall, according to Digital Business Study 2023 by Foundry, 89% of all companies have already adopted or plan to adopt a digital-first business strategy.

We have a strong conviction that having conversations with tech team leaders and members provide valuable insights into the magic ingredients that make tech teams work the best.

idialogue’s recommended employer Centric IT Solutions Lithuania is the right organization to ask how to develop and lead exceptional tech teams. We interviewed several exceptional faces of Centric IT Solutions Lithuania and here are the success factors of a thriving tech team.

Combine teamwork, Agile approach and close collaboration

First of all, it’s about sharing a clear vision, one direction, and an open mind to find the way - believes, Software Engineering Manager - Dainius Stasiulis.

For example, recently we delivered a project with exceptional results, but I must say - it wasn't a typical project. We used the Confidential Consortium Framework (CCF), a recent product from Microsoft, and prior to the project's development had to conduct extensive research to comprehend unknowns, potentials, and limitations. 

Here, close collaboration not only within the team but also with our stakeholders contributed to success enormously - admits Dainius. 

The real challenge was to make a prototype to demonstrate that we could utilize CCF technology to our benefit. We therefore began developing municipality voting systems and went the extra mile to make all systems work in just 3 months.

Agile gave us tools like Scrum and allowed to iterate, fail fast, adopt, learn, and upgrade.

Thus, for us there is only one combination of factors that makes any project possible and that is teamwork, Agile approach and close collaboration - Dainius shares his secret sauce.

Seek proactive team members

Edvinas Lučkauskas - Talent Acquisition Partner, believes that it is important to have a structured hiring process and focus on finding candidates who not only meet the necessary requirements but also align with the company’s culture. 

In Centric, we have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and create diverse job descriptions, welcoming applications from everyone - explains Edvinas. 

Most importantly, we seek to hire proactive individuals with a strong commitment to continuous learning and personal growth. These are the people who want to evolve and succeed together with Centric, allowing us to form the best tech teams who stick together for long.

Put communication as a cornerstone

It’s important to not only understand the importance of communication but to provide means for seamless open dialogue - shares Ernestas Bacevičius, Marketing Project Manager.

For instance, twice a month gather the entire company to discuss specific subjects, achievements, or challenges and within teams’ structure provide every member the opportunity to engage with their managers on a weekly basis. 

Ernestas suggests giving freedom for teams to choose between holding brief daily catch-up meetings or having longer weekly team meetings to review departmental progress and share updates from the week. 

Don’t forget to acknowledge team’s results

Demonstrating support and extending appreciation to team members who consistently deliver exceptional work should be a core tenet of organizational culture, as it is at Centric - claims Ernestas.

Expressing gratitude for outstanding contributions can take many forms: from a pat on the shoulder during a weekly meeting to the praise system that updates more than once in a year.

Keep ambition high

I believe that the main leader's purpose is to bring the team to its best and keep ambitions high. Both purposes require leadership to focus on people and listen actively, foster team’s development and provide support, and lastly inspire team to aim for the best results - shares Julija Stanaitytė, Strategic HR Business Partner.

To reach this, for example at Centric we have a Managers Mastery programme, where we develop skills in coaching, change management, communication (feedback, pitching / selling idea), goal setting, team management etc. 

Work with OKRs

Last year we started to learn how to work with OKRs, which helped our company to be transparent, dynamic, and agile - admits Julija.

We share our strategic plan at the beginning of the year, and on a quarterly basis we share the progress of the strategy and our yearly goals, highlighting both successes and failures. 

Furthermore, we feel the pulse of how people feel towards the strategy, mission, or goals through our monthly engagement survey and according to the results we react instantly.

Use tools to optimize work

Technology and tools play a crucial role in optimizing a tech team's performance by streamlining processes, enhancing collaboration, and enabling efficient problem-solving - explains Akvilė Lipnickė, Software Engineering Team Leader.

Here are few examples of tools and technology that impacts team performance:

• Collaboration & Communication

Since development teams usually work across different locations or time zones, tools like Teams and Zoom help to facilitate real-time communication and information sharing.

For developers, version control systems help to provide a structured way to manage code changes, collaborate on coding projects, and review code. 

Wiki type platforms allow teams to create and maintain internal documentation, making knowledge sharing and onboarding smoother.

• Code Development and Testing

Integrated development environments and automated testing tools can enhance code writing, debugging, and testing. Try to automate your processes as much as possible, ensuring code quality and reducing bugs.

• Project Management

Tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps help teams manage tasks, track progress, and allocate resources effectively. Adopting Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, can enhance project visibility and adaptability, and reach product time to market faster.

Understand why and which methodologies to use

The most common mistake we see is that teams or companies know several different management methodologies and mix them into one, taking something from one and something from another - observes Dovilė Kurakienė, Scrum Master.

Another mistake we see is that Scrum as a framework is very team-oriented and it often happens that teams try to apply the theoretical knowledge they have read without taking into account the team, its members or its capabilities.

To avoid these mistakes, it is very important to educate the teams and the company about Scrum, to let them understand why one or another meeting is important, what is the purpose of the meeting, why sprints are needed, and so on. 

The better the understanding of the principle of why certain actions are performed, the easier it is for the team to work.

You can learn more about Centric IT Solutions Lithuania here.