When it comes to building engineering teams in Southeast Asia, my philosophy can be summarized in two words: intentionality and pragmatism. Five years ago, as I started scaling up the engineering team in this region, I faced challenges and made decisions that had lasting consequences.

Some of these decisions led to issues like high turnover in my Indonesia team, communication difficulties between teams due to language barriers, and underperformance in remote teams. I had an ideal vision of the perfect team, but the reality of budget constraints, tight timelines, and a limited talent pool forced me to make practical decisions.

Building a high-performing engineering organization in Southeast Asia requires intentionality. Here are some lessons I learned:

Also Read: Glints snags US$22.5M Series C to expand full-stack career platform

Understand the Engineering Scope

Before scaling the team, it’s crucial to have a product-market fit and a clear product roadmap. From there, you can determine the engineering bandwidth and skill set needed. Be realistic about the technology needed and plan the manpower accordingly.

Organize Teams for Communication

If you plan to scale past eight people, consider splitting the team into sub-teams based on communication needs. Group members who frequently communicate together to improve efficiency. Decide whether you want a remote or hub-based team, and set up the necessary processes and tools.

Research the Talent Market

Understand the engineering talent market in Southeast Asia, considering skills, culture, and size differences. Research on LinkedIn and talk to other engineering leaders to get insights on hiring challenges and candidate preferences.

Hire the Engineering Leader First

When hiring across multiple markets, start by hiring the engineering leader. Avoid the temptation to hire individual contributors first. Building a team without strong leadership can lead to miscommunication and disengagement.

Invest time in hiring the right leader, and focus on building the new hub. Be physically present to build trust with the team and set the cultural tone from the beginning.

Also Read: The 4 principles of hiring an omnipotent founding team for your startup

Building an engineering team in Southeast Asia is challenging, but by making conscious trade-offs and learning from past experiences, you can create a successful team.

–

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing contributions from the community. This season we are seeking op-eds, analysis and articles on food tech and sustainability. Share your opinion and earn a byline by submitting a post.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community or like the e27 Facebook page

Image credit: krakenimages on Unsplash

This article was first published on May 5, 2021

The post As Glints CTO, this is what I want you to know about building an engineering team in Southeast Asia appeared first on e27.