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Man, every startup at SXSW was bitching about this. I think it's an easy fix... 1) Startups need to pay more than they want to. If you want a talented engine

Man, every startup at SXSW was bitching about this. I think it's an easy fix... 1) Startups need to pay more than they want to. If you want a talented engineer, they aren't free. I see a lot of startups offering WAY low salaries and then getting frustrated they can't find devs... it's basic supply and demand. Budget accordingly and stop making business plans that involve finding devs for lower-than-market-rates. 2) Hire more junior people, build a process to mentor them. Recognize that they will leave after a year or two... 3) Hire freelancers to augment where needed. 4) Hire remote workers who live in cheaper locations -- realistically these days the only hard part about managing a distributed team is when they are in dramatically different time zones. 5) Work smart... a stitch in time saves nine, measure twice cut once... hire good product managers, UX designers, and QA people to help keep your project momentum going. Devs building prototypes that you just want to changeup as soon as it's launched... those are the most expensive wireframes you'll ever build... you're not only saddled with the dev cost, but tech debt to make changes. Prototype to keep costs down. 6) Cut other costs... Get rid of your office, for starters.

humanrebar 10y ago
> ...realistically these days the only hard part about managing a distributed team is when they are in dramatically different time zones Well, there are cultural issues. You need to write things down more to work remotely effectively and lots of people don't like to read or write.
- dbg31415 10y ago
  Think about every issue in your current backlog. What's the real reason it's in there, and not in the done pile? I'd willing to bet the root issue is lack of documented scope leading to a lack of ability to estimate which leads to a lack of ability to prioritize... Writing and reading are important; I wouldn't let people get away with half-baking requirements even if I worked right alongside them... always be kind to your future self and document.
- emodendroket 10y ago
  I think those are going to be less than insuperable if you want to hire people in, like, Montana.

humanrebar 10y ago

> ...realistically these days the only hard part about managing a distributed team is when they are in dramatically different time zones Well, there are cultural issues. You need to write things down more to work remotely effectively and lots of people don't like to read or write.

dbg31415 10y ago
Think about every issue in your current backlog. What's the real reason it's in there, and not in the done pile? I'd willing to bet the root issue is lack of documented scope leading to a lack of ability to estimate which leads to a lack of ability to prioritize... Writing and reading are important; I wouldn't let people get away with half-baking requirements even if I worked right alongside them... always be kind to your future self and document.
emodendroket 10y ago
I think those are going to be less than insuperable if you want to hire people in, like, Montana.