A deep dive into the tradeoffs of span of control and team size for engineering managers. Covers how span of control affects organizational layers and complexity, the benefits and challenges of wide vs. narrow spans, enablers and barriers to large spans, and how AI may (or may not) change the calculus. Also addresses team size best practices, the pitfalls of 'pod of one' arrangements, and project-based pod structures. Concludes with practical principles for early-stage and growing companies, including how to plan a gradual increase in span of control and how to sense when you're overextending managers.
Table of contents
Span of control and team sizeSpan of controlTerminology: teams vs podsOverall suggestionTeam size: why small teams?Overall principles and conclusionsWhat did I miss?Thank you152 Impressions1 Comment