Dedicated Agile Software Engineering Teams
Integrated into your Engineering unit, we provide dedicated Agile software engineering teams, to build software independently or augment your existing product teams.
Agile, Scrum, Kanban or Lean?
Most software development teams combine methodologies and frameworks to build their own unique approach to product development. Engineering teams are flexible and ready to understand and adapt to your own flavor of Agile, as long as there is a structure, a process in place.
There are plenty of overlapping principles from one methodology to another. The key is choosing a system, and working as a team to fine-tune and improve that approach, so we can collectively reduce waste, maximize efficiency, and master collaboration.
If you don’t have a strong preference already, we might propose using the Encora Agile Delivery Framework if we find it to be a good fit for your project. The Encora framework is a powerful set of methods and Agile best practices that we have perfected over the years.
Agile Software Engineering Team. What do you actually get?
Encora provides all the needed software engineering team roles, to help with your product development.
This is typically composed of a Project Manager, a Technical Lead, software engineers, QA engineers, and other roles that are defined for each specific project (e.g. software architect, DevOps, UX, business analysts, etc). Management is conducted jointly by a Scrum Master and the client’s Product Owner.
When needed, Encora can assign a Proxy Product Owner, to make sure that complex business requirements are correctly translated into clear technical requirements that the developers can easily pick up.
It is best for the overall collaboration to hire an Encora engineering “team”, or a “squad”, instead of just “roles”. It will allow us to orchestrate our true ability to deliver state-of-the-art digital solutions.
Remember: we are a software engineering organization, not a staffing agency. We look at how we can create better quality code, not just burning points.
We deliver value faster when we are allowed to demonstrate our experience in organizing and delivering Product Engineering assignments. Our clients value us for our delivery capability, management style, and long-term commitment, which is measured in years, not months.
Nonetheless, we understand that especially in the pilot phase of an engineering engagement, you might prefer to start with smaller, hybrid teams, where Encora engineers blend into existing client squads and adapt to their development style. In this case, we would start by offering discrete roles initially, instead of fully autonomous squads. This is usually the case with Technology companies that already have a strong engineering practice in place and prefer to coordinate the process themselves. However, this evolves over time.
Our long-lasting clients, global players in key industries, from all continents, are trusting Encora as an Engineering partner, to build, train, and manage autonomous Dedicated R&D Centers for them, which usually involve multiple Scrum teams for each platform or product.
We become part of your success, growing with your product.
What does an ideal engagement look like
We’ve found that hiring a full Agile Software Engineering team works best.
This usually means
- 1 Technical Lead (can act as a Scrum Master)
- 1-2 Senior Developers
- 1-2 Intermediate Developers
- 1 Junior Developer
- 1-2 Testers (one must be senior; might act as a Scrum Master)
Additionally, sometimes a software architect, a UX specialist, or DevOps, CyberSecurity specialists, are required. Or even a different role allocation or a different balance between experienced programmers and more junior ones may be more effective for a specific assignment.
We’re happy to work with you, to understand what is the best setup for your business goals.
For instance, if you plan to build a Prototype, a Proof of Concept (PoC), or an MVP (minimum viable product) first, then a smaller but more experienced team is usually the better choice.
You may then multiply the chosen Agile team structure, for larger assignments, or multiple projects.
It’s ideal not to start with too many teams at the same time.
Build the first team, learn, improve, then repeat and optimize.
Why choose Encora's dedicated Agile Software Engineering teams
- We are a software engineering organization, not a staffing agency
- Professionally trained; working with Agile and Scrum since 2007
- Encora engineers are Agile-certified professionals
- We support Agile contracting (when Agile is played correctly)
- Not just SCRUM; Kanban, XP, Lean Programming, or other methodologies, are also supported by our software engineering teams. Each framework though comes with different prerequisites. Work with our Consulting team to understand the differences and choose the delivery model and commercial model that fits you best.
- our engagement model is scalable; we build dedicated teams ranging from 3 FTEs up to 100 FTEs per account.
- by working with us, you share any possible risks with an experienced Partner
- With a long-term collaboration in mind, we’re happy to invest in Business training knowledge and learn your area of expertise
- You get smooth replacements for each engineer that happens to leave the team
- Our delivery centers are located in the European Union, so you benefit from legal, political, monetary, and staff stability. Data Protection, GDPR, Intellectual Property, and Personal Safety are ground rules for us, just like they are for you.
- Benefit from an enterprise-grade IT infrastructure; all Encora engineers operate within a secure, controlled Encora corporate IT environment. Alternatively, we are willing to accommodate work from your environment should you prefer that.
- We may not all be native English speakers (some of us are), but all our staff is fluent in English
- Easy to budget, easy to forecast; when using dedicated teams, you know in advance your cost per sprint, so it is easy to calculate your monthly or yearly spend with our team
- Know what you get; planning for a fixed monthly spend doesn’t mean that we don’t follow a Project plan. We always plan for what we deliver and when. We share the progress with you transparently. We are your partners for Solution Delivery, not just burning points and landing sprints.
Reach out to our Software Engineering management team to learn more about how we could help you build your Agile teams and develop digital solutions faster.
