I find that it’s something interesting in software companies, that often, depending on the company size, things work very differently. Of course, this can be true for any profession, but for software, it seems to be at a larger scale than other areas of development. In this post, I will go over some general categories and then my experiences and perception for each.  I will also put a general figure for each, as far as size,  which is the size of the company, not specifically the development team. This will go over what I feel is generally more of a typical company of that nature. E.g.: For a 100 employee software company, generally at least 10-20+ developers. If it falls way outside the range, it’s an atypical case, that I won’t be covering here.

Very Small/Tiny (5-15 employees)

Very small companies are generally run as your typical start-up style. That means that process is commonly limited or non-existent. Software tools are kept to only what is absolutely required and what is free. Teams are kept small, as is the company. Communication is widespread, e-mails will often go to the entire company, because there’s little point in excluding the one person who it doesn’t apply to. The group is often close-knit and may even have lunch together every day. Management is thin or non-existent. With these strategies, most overheads are eliminated, and because the team is so small, it can be justified and gotten away with. Software developers are often working on a large piece or the entire product by themselves. Getting code done fast and to market is often more important than designing it well, which may come at the cost of having to rewrite it in a few years, if the company grows, but it’s considered worth the risk

Small (16-80 employees)

Small companies borrow a lot of characteristics from their very small predecessor. Most small companies started out with years under their belt as a very small. This has given the company both good experience and some responsibility to rethink what worked in the past. Some of what worked in the past worked because they were so small and the scale of their product was smaller, so they got away with doing it quickly and without following best practices. In a small company, they will review some of what’s been done and potentially rewrite some pieces with future goals in mind. In small companies, e-mails start to become refined so they won’t go to everyone; the volume would be too high, as to where e-mails would just start getting ignored anyway. Software process goes from none to minimal. A process is generally put in place where management is there, but their job is mostly revolved around staying on top of development, and in some companies, interfacing with the customer. Usage of process is done, but usually not “by the book”, so to speak. Development generally takes a bit longer than very smalls, but the software is generally written a bit more robustly, as company goals become more defined.

Medium (81-300)

Medium-sized companies generally stem from small companies who have grown. Depending on what phase the company is, because there’s a wide-gap in there, it can exibit characters closer to a small company or closer to a large company. Process generally becomes defined better, and they start to try to follow software processes. Managament gains the additional responsibility of enforcing process. Rearchitecture general does not put the company at financial risk. E-mails are sent purely to those who “need to know”. Interaction starts to occur through layers; a software developer generally wouldn’t interact directly with a CEO.

Large (301+)

Large companies are characterized by, a generally, lengthy existence. They have tried many methods and have an idea what has worked for them and what has not. Process is well-defined, and there are a lot of layers of overhead, but these are often required to ensure successful management. Operating processes are generally less efficient, but in the end, they generally put out better tested products (not always). E-mails to the entire company are frowned upon, unless you’re a human resources, or have a title such as VP. Development cycles are generally longer and the company has a long-term roadmap, going out 5 years or more. Many employees will never meet the CEO or president. Developers will generally be specialists. Some developers will specialize in  a GUI technology, another will specialize in a specific-back end technology. They might work with this one technology for years.

Conclusion

So, that’s my overview. There are a few points I want to note for technical accuracy. There are well-defined sizes for companies defined by legal terms, that I specifically avoided adhearing to: This discussion is from my perception. Additionally, as we all should be aware, every company is different. Which means, that some of what I’ve said may not apply to your company. If so, don’t take offense: I don’t work at your company… unless I do, in which case, you should tell me who you are. Finally, some of these also vary by industry. A large gaming company is likely to be very different than a large defense contractor. I hope you enjoyed the post, and of course, I look forward to your feedback.

Company, Company Size, Development, Large Companies, Medium Companies, Programming, Small Companies, Software, Very Small Companies