How to Successfully Build a Well-performing Tech Team if You are a Non-Technical Founder?

Introduction

Today, businesses are witnessing a shift from conventional business models to a more dynamic and tech-oriented approach. But regardless of this change, the core asset, i.e., the employees, are still the essence of businesses. It is, therefore, the responsibility of business founders to plan and develop well-performing, optimistic, and goal-oriented teams to efficiently handle business processes. Effective teams are the very base of successful businesses. To ensure that a company operates at peak efficiency, it must form teams in which each member contributes their talents and skills to the business’s overall success.

A technical team is responsible for the technical development of products to generate revenue and thus is an integral part of a business. It is important to ensure that you build a tech team that is skilled and knowledgeable to handle technical concerns or issues related to the building of products and can contribute to the smooth functioning of the business. However, building an efficient tech team is not an easy task. 

According to data, nearly 86% of HR professionals say it is difficult to hire suitable technical talents. Thus, it shows that hiring and forming an efficient technical team is challenging and requires a lot of effort and resources. Non-technical founders find it even more difficult to build a successful tech team since they lack technical expertise and skills. But does this mean that non-technical founders won’t be able to form a technical team? Indeed a Forbes article says that non-technical founders can build great tech businesses. Keeping this in mind, let us find out how a non-technical founder can build a well-performing tech team.

What is a Technical Team?

Before moving ahead, let us have a clear idea about what a tech team actually is. A tech team is a group of people with the technical knowledge and the requisite skill set that helps them to develop products or provide tech-based services and manage the technical aspect of the business. A tech team’s primary goal is to maximize efficiency and scale business operations while also keeping the processes cost-efficient. They must ensure that technology is optimized and simple to integrate into the business so that technical concerns can be handled accordingly. Thus, forming an efficient technical team is an important task for addressing and resolving technical problems throughout the organization.

Different roles in a tech team

Steve Case, co-founder and CEO of AOL, once mentioned that “the team you build will dictate the company you build.” Thus, it is essential for non-technical founders to have a clear understanding of various job roles in a tech team to build a team that is ideal for their organization. Here are some of the roles that are essential in a tech team.

• Front-end developers

Front-end developers work on the user interface of the software, system, or application. For instance, they can change a website’s design or make sure a program is simple to use and navigate. Front-end developers help satisfy user needs and function effectively by approaching programs and systems from the user’s point of view.

• Back-end developers

Back-end developers work on the back end or server side of the software, application, program, and system. They can write code to create programs or modify existing code to allow databases and browsers to communicate with one another. Back-end developers usually write code in specific programming languages, which can vary depending on the type of project and the function of the project.

• Full stack developers

A full-stack developer works on both the front-end and back-end of applications and softwares. So, they must be familiar with coding as well as user activities. Full-stack developers are frequently trained to build and create an entire application, software, or program.

• DevOps Engineers

DevOps engineers implement tools, processes, and methodologies to balance requirements throughout the software development life cycle, from coding and deployment to maintenance and updates. DevOps Engineers understand the Software Development Lifecycle and are well-versed in various automation tools for developing digital processes (CI/CD pipelines).

• Data Engineers

Data engineers design and develop systems that gather, manage, and convert unprocessed data into information that data scientists and business analysts can use to interpret various contexts. Their ultimate objective is to make data accessible so businesses can use it to assess and improve their performance.

How to build a Tech Team as a Non-technical Founder?

As a non-technical founder, here are a few things you can consider while building a tech startup team.

Research well about the job roles in a tech team: As a non-tech founder, you have to put in extra effort to understand the different roles and responsibilities of a tech team. Conduct thorough research about the various job roles in a tech team, as you need to have a clear understanding of the skills and experience, you would require in your tech team. Then develop a proper plan on how you can hire top talents for those roles. Non-technical founders can join tech forums and discussions to have a clear idea about the various job roles so that they can determine the roles necessary to build their tech team.

Plan ahead of time:  As a non-tech founder, you have to prepare a proper plan ahead of time about the tech requirements of your business and the hiring of tech talents. Note down all the requirements ahead of time and prepare a thorough plan on the type of professionals you would require to have a successful team. Planning things ahead of time will provide you with various benefits like if an issue arises, you will have enough time on your hands to sort through it and find a solution. Non-technical founders can use tools like Asana, which is a task management tool with features like projects, workspaces, tasks, and sections to help plan out the processes well in advance and be on track.

Talk to experts in the field: Non-tech founders usually lack essential tech skills and knowledge, so to have a better idea about the same, they should have discussions with experts in the field. It would help non-technical founders get the perspective of the experts with strong technical knowledge and provide a clear idea about various pointers they should consider in building a tech team. Non-technical founders can connect with technical experts on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn or join an online community of tech experts to have a better idea about the skills and talents they should look for in the candidates.

Outsource your technical interviews: Since non-technical founders lack the necessary technical expertise, one of the best ways they can build a skilled tech team and scale their hiring process is by outsourcing their technical interviews. Non-technical founders can choose tech interviewing platforms to assess the abilities of their candidates and hire top tech talents efficiently without compromising on the skills required. HireHunch is a tech interviewing platform that provides interviewing services to help organizations with their tech recruitment process.  

How can HireHunch help non-technical founders build a tech-based team? 

HireHunch is a tech interviewing platform that helps businesses evaluate the skillsets of their candidates. Recruiting technical talents can be a time-consuming and costly process, and this is where HireHunch comes in to assist businesses in assessing their tech candidates and scaling their recruitment processes. HireHunch provides hassle-free tech interviewing services to help build an efficient tech team that is capable of managing the technical front of the business. HireHunch has a panel of expert interviewers who conduct the initial rounds of interviews to shortlist top talents for the final interview so that organizations can build a tech team without challenges. 

HireHunch has an in-built video conferencing platform with technical assessments that help to evaluate the technical expertise of candidates. Businesses source candidates and collaborate with HireHunch by providing their specific requirements to analyze the expertise of their candidates. HireHunch is a great option, especially for non-technical founders, as the expert panel of interviewers possess the expertise to shortlist candidates who would be an ideal fit for their businesses. HireHunch can help non-technical founders to improve their recruitment funnel and save the bandwidth of their business, thereby assisting them in building a successful tech team.

The Benefits of Building a Well-Performing Tech Team

Organizations that focus on developing well-performing tech teams reap a great return on their investment. Here are some of the benefits of a high-performing team.

• For Employees:

Employees in a well-performing team are highly motivated and open to communication. They work towards a common goal, share values, and complement each other’s skills. They are rewarded for their good performance, giving them the requisite incentive to keep achieving more. A good team is conducive to company growth, learning, and productivity.

• For Organizations:

High-performing teams are a necessity for any organization. An organization can only survive and thrive in today’s competitive era when its employees are efficient and effective. Efficient teams are flexible and willing to take risks. Open communication allows them to brainstorm ideas and facilitate innovation. This also helps them to deliver quality products or services to the clients and, in turn, increase their market share and help the business to grow.

Conclusion

Building well-performing tech teams requires careful planning and analysis of each employee’s skills and personality. An efficient tech team can completely transform the outlook of a company and can create a holistic approach to work towards the organization’s objectives and mission consistently. Thus, a non-technical founder should carefully design effective strategies to build a tech team tailored to take on challenges and help the company grow. If you are a non-technical founder looking to build a successful and efficient tech team, check out the services offered by HireHunch. To have an idea about how the platform works and how it can be beneficial in helping you build a tech team, you can schedule a demo.