We spoke with Ugur Atar, Head of Software Development to learn how the Tech Teams work, and why their way of thinking has worked so well. 

The most important thing with technology is that it serves the business, the  customers and the developers. Technology is the tool we use, we’re not just developing software for the sake of it; technology needs to be utilized, solve problems and create value. We don’t follow the hype – we follow the problem, and pick the best technology to solve it. We believe that that’s the most efficient way of working. 

– We are a small or mid-sized company, so of course we need to be efficient and channel our cognitive power in the most effective way. Focusing on technology that doesn’t work or fit the problem is a waste of people's time and a demotivator, explains Ugur. 

How we create value for us and our customers

Our Tech Teams are divided into different problem areas, and every developer has expert knowledge in their problem area. There's a saying that the way you structure your communication in your organization also structures how your technology will look. By dividing our teams into problem areas, the software we produce is in a microservice architecture divided by the problems we are solving. But still, Ugur emphasizes the need to be innovative and explore beyond those set areas. 

– The Tech Teams here do a lot of out of the box projects. We utilize new technology and have freedom to experiment in the engineering team. For example, we have started using machine learning to improve internal efficiency, along with estimations and predictions, says Ugur. 

Having a customer user centric approach, while incorporating innovation and prioritizing efficiency might seem like a struggle. We like to look at it as a triangle, and when it’s balanced we can create value for our customers.  

Sometimes you have to focus your resources on fulfilling business requirements, sometimes you need to improve efficiency, and sometimes you have to have freedom to innovate and learn something new for yourself.

– You always have to make tradeoffs as an engineer, the key is to make the right tradeoffs at the right time. It varies from time to time and project to project which side leads, but in the end, the triangle must be in balance, says Ugur. 

A collaborative mindset

The quality of the product is based on a collaborative mindset, and with it we test and improve our code regularly. We have regular code reviews, we do a lot of pair programming, sit together and work together. Being iterative is not only for minimising the impact of errors and mistakes but it helps our developers deliver continuous value to our customers and to themselves. 

– Engineering teams that deliver in shorter cycles will get the feeling of accomplishment more often, will take more initiatives and become more autonomous in their decision making processes – which will only make them a happier team than before, says Ugur.

Having a structure, but being agile within the frame is one of the reasons why the Tech Teams here are so successful at what they do. This is the main philosophy and the plan for moving forward, because it has worked so well so far. 

– Every day, we intuitively think forward. We think “if we build this now, what happens when it scales? If it works with 100 data points, will it work with 1 000 000?”. We need to maintain that way of thinking, because we are in a process of scaling both business, the team and our technology, says Ugur. 

We're ready to grow (and we want you to join us)

As of now, we’re about 10 developers from different parts of the world; from Iran to India, from Russia to Romania. We are looking for motivated developers that enjoy the entire development process, collaborating with colleagues to build something that has value for us and our customers. 

We value the recruitment process and take onboarding seriously. That way, we help people succeed in their roles from day one, and we give them freedom to learn, grow and innovate along the way.

– We always manage to find the right people, and that’s not luck. The people we hire like to grow together with the company, explains Ugur. 

In the Tech Teams, we have hired a lot of juniors and given them resources to grow, we have promoted people internally, we have hired people from our Customer Success team as developers and we make it possible for developers to grow their skills in different Tech Teams.

– We let people innovate and do things in their own way, and we always try to give you the tools you need to succeed. We have Tech Talks between teams, regular demos, a personal growth budget and time set aside to coach developers to grow in their area, says Ugur.

We are ready to grow, do you want to join us? Check out our current open positions or connect with us and get updates whenever a new job is posted!