How to Build Awesome Teams Without Bullshit – Stages, Roles, and Hiring Strategies

Purpose of This Article

To help readers understand themselves, create truly efficient teams, hire the most suitable people, build connections, and stay wise in the IT field.

Three Key Factors

The theory revolves around three indicators: 1) Project development stage, 2) Role level, 3) Role category. Each factor is crucial for building the right team.

1. Project Development Stage – A Map of Resources and Goals

Projects (and companies) move through stages: Start, Rapid Growth, Success, Re‑organization, Crisis Loop, and Failure. Each stage has distinct motivations, team composition, resources, and stability, illustrated with diagrams.

Start Stage

Motivation ★★★, Team ★★★, Resources 💩💩💩, Stability 💩💩💩 – focus on speed, low resources, and rapid product releases.

Growth Stage

Motivation ★★💩, Team ★★💩, Resources ★💩💩, Stability ★★💩 – aim for stable landing, documentation, technical debt repayment, and hiring for new challenges.

Success Stage

Motivation ★★💩, Team ★💩💩, Resources ★★★, Stability ★★★ – company is stable, cash‑flow positive, but risk of bureaucracy and internal conflict.

Re‑organization Stage

Motivation 💩💩💩, Team ★💩💩, Resources ★★💩, Stability ★★💩 – morale drops, blame culture emerges, and restructuring is needed.

Crisis Loop

Motivation ★★💩, Team 💩💩💩, Resources ★💩💩, Stability ★💩💩 – resources exhausted, crisis fully emerges, urgent rescue required.

Failure

Only one rule: avoid it.

2. Role Levels

Companies grade engineers differently, but the article proposes a universal model: Junior (👶), Mid‑level (😋), Senior‑plus (😎), Lead (👴), Responsible (🤨), and Executive (😶). Each level includes description, experience, interview tips, and why the team needs that level.

3. Role Categories (Base Types)

Four base categories: Executor (🏃‍♂️), Explorer (👩‍🔬), Bureaucrat (👨‍💼), Integrator (🤝). Combinations of these base types form composite roles such as Initiator, Sentinel, Architect, and Troubleshooter. The article explains strengths, weaknesses, and when to hire each.

Leadership

Leaders possess at least three qualities from the base types, enabling them to guide teams without formal managerial titles.

Books and Links for the Next Step

Recommended reading includes Michael Watkins’ “The First 90 Days” and Ichak Adizes’ “Management Leaders”, among others, to deepen understanding of the presented models.