Company
Date Published
Author
Greg Padak
Word count
530
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

GitHub has experimented with organizing developers into ad hoc teams based on expertise rather than traditional roles like application or platform engineering to address blind spots where the most qualified individuals are excluded from solving specific problems. These ad hoc teams, which are opt-in and can be formed without administrative intervention, allow for quicker responses to complex issues by leveraging the collective skills of various team members, regardless of their formal group. For example, in the event of a security vulnerability, multiple experts from different domains can be summoned to provide a comprehensive solution. This approach has been successfully applied within GitHub, particularly with their enterprise-scaling team, facilitating faster problem resolution and improved knowledge distribution without the need for formal meetings. The benefits include faster problem-solving, uncovering hidden talents, and fostering fresh perspectives that challenge groupthink.