What if you could build a multi-million dollar software company where only 10% of your employees are developers? AFAS, a company with hundreds of millions in revenue, does exactly that with a lean team of just 70 engineers. In this episode, Engineering Manager Michiel Overeem pulls back the curtain on their unconventional strategies for achieving massive productivity with a surprisingly small team.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why standardization is their secret weapon for efficiency.
- How they thrive without traditional Scrum ceremonies.
- The two distinct types of engineers they hire for success.
- The surprising details of their 4-day work week (paid for 5).
This video is for engineering leaders and software developers who want to learn proven, counter-intuitive strategies to build hyper-effective teams and get more done, regardless of team size.
Connect with Michiel:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/movereem
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:22 - The "10% Engineering" Paradox at a €100M+ Company
00:03:20 - How Standardization Allows a Small Team to Do More
00:04:27 - The Two Types of Engineers Every Successful Company Needs
00:06:46 - Why Feeling Responsible is More Powerful Than Being Responsible
00:09:33 - The Secret Sauce of High-Performing Engineering Teams
00:11:52 - A Simple Method to Keep Engineers Connected to Customers
00:14:22 - What We Look For When Hiring New Engineers
00:17:09 - The #1 Red Flag That Will Get You Rejected in an Interview
00:19:33 - Why We Don't Use Scrum (And What We Do Instead)
00:22:51 - The Power of Strong, Decisive Leadership
00:24:13 - How Our 4-Day Work Week Actually Works
00:26:55 - Our Approach to Adopting AI Tools like Copilot
00:28:19 - Final Advice: The Best Way to Grow Your Career
#EngineeringCulture #Productivity #SoftwareDevelopment