Making do: Scaling expertise on teams you can't grow

When teams can’t grow through hiring, look for ways to restructure existing resources and break down rigid team boundaries

Create flexible “swarm” models where engineers can temporarily embed with other teams based on highest priorities and needed expertise

Build shared services teams that pool specialized skills (like frontend engineering) across the organization rather than isolating them in product teams

Implement on-call rotations and knowledge sharing practices so expertise can scale across reduced headcount

Focus ruthlessly on prioritization - evaluate all work against organizational goals rather than individual team roadmaps

Encourage fluid team structures and cross-training to build resilience and allow people to contribute wherever needed

Set up regular demos and documentation to facilitate knowledge transfer between teams and disciplines

Reset expectations around team size and ownership - view constraints as opportunities to collaborate differently

Build support systems so people can take time off without creating single points of failure

Measure success by collective impact and organizational goals rather than individual team metrics

Create unified roadmaps across previously separate teams to better align reduced resources

Foster a culture that values learning and adaptation over rigid role definitions and territories