I’ve spent the majority of my career working in technology, working in both hardware and software. There were never enough development resources to meet the coding demands expected by executive leadership, internal functional teams, and even the customers themselves. We were constantly looking for ways to augment development teams with talented coders without missing a step. We quickly realized that the full immersion of new coders into an existing, well-structured team accelerated the learning and shortened the curve.
There are specific immersive strategies you can use to achieve accelerated learning and team integration. Here are those you should be considering:
Coding Specialists – Integrating coding specialists into an ongoing project can support a development project without disruption. Specialists have considerable confidence in a specific language and toolset. There is no learning curve in that regard, and all focus can be on applying capability immediately to the project.
Coder Buddy System – Taking the time to understand your coder’s passions can help you link the personalities and interests of current team members with outsourced coder resources. Coders enjoy sharing their experience with like-minded developers – everything from coding tips to innovative tools and resources. Creating a coder buddy system ensures that everyone feels included, and nobody is isolated and on their own.
Tools & Communication Consistency – It’s not always easy for a new coder to get up to speed on a project. Staying engaged from a process and communication perspective adds even higher levels of team integration complexity. It’s important to keep the tools to a minimum, complexity to a minimum and communication consistent and predictable.
Continual Measurement & Development – Quite often the project can require such a high demand for attention that measurement and development fall off the table. This is a big mistake most development teams make. Measurement, feedback, and development actually accelerate a coder’s ability to meet the expectations originally defined.
Good luck in your search for the right coding talent. Remember to implement an immersive experience using the above strategies to successfully integrate outsourced coders, while mitigating the effects of disruption.