Software product enterprises need small, effective teams for scaling

The scaling up challenge faced by software product entities is unique in todays IT scenario and stands quite apart from its services counterparts. While the core of scaling-up in case of services would rely on increasing the mass of human capital supplemented by processes, it is the inverse in the case of products. This means, in product entities, a robust process framework held aloft by a small, effective team would be necessary to manage scale.

The characteristics, which need to be understood to put in place a scaling strategy in product entities, would be:

• Version maintenanceProliferating the use of a common solution across multiple business entities across region
• Controlling changeAfter a certain point only controlled creativity can help in preserving a product
• Faster adoptionBenefits the product brings to a business which adopts it, have to be visible and visible very fast
• Critical mass of subject matter expertsSMEs are the driving force of product entities

Version Maintenance: This has to be one of the key factors for scaling product deployments. In my view, I have found many champions for tools to be used to obtain version control, but very few advocates of organizing work and the workforce to absorb and practice this as a concept.

In a product environment, it will be essential to organize a common pool to form a central engineering team. This team would have to necessarily service multiple requests across multiple clients, which perhaps affects the same component of the product.

Controlling Change: This is the best tactic to ensure the product gets utilized in both classical and unorthodox ways. Finding a way to accommodate a unique business request without having to change any component of the product will enable innovative usage of the product. Product organizations have to understand this and create and nurture expert teams, which have to be directed to be effective change controllers.

Faster Adoption: This will ensure faster benefit realization and enable contracting implementation turn-around times. This will, in turn, enable effective bandwidth utilization and enhance the ability to service multiple orders. The main adoption inhibitors are:

• Premature implementations of partly tested productsIt implies having a robust in-house testing strategy, which includes regression and performance testing.
• Technical managers trying to drive implementationsIt is necessary that implementations are driven by business experts who are and can be perceived as a part of the ecosystem, with a fair amount of practical knowledge.

A majority of subject matter experts underpins the sustenance and growth of a product organization. In almost every aspect of the product life cycledesign, build, test, and implement, it is essential that a team which very closely reflects the consumer has to play a cohesive part. An ideal product organization should comprise, at least 60% being SMEs. They are the drivers of growth.

A product organization can match the profitability and growth expectations only if it can effectively handle the scaling challenge. Before embarking on any organizational innovation, it is essential to sense market appetite and potential, comfort for internal adoption to change.