Implementing Best Dev 
Practices at Stackgen

Overview

Stackgen is a leading provider of automated infrastructure with an engineering team of 30+ members. It streamlines cloud provisioning and reduces bottlenecks between development, operations, and security teams. Facing its own scaling challenges, Stackgen deployed Typo to gain visibility into team performance, facilitate better 1-on-1s, and implement best dev practices. Typo enabled Stackgen to achieve significant improvements in review times and deployment frequency.

The Challenge

As Stackgen grew, managing global remote engineering teams at scale became increasingly complex. Lack of visibility into team performance and workflow bottlenecks hindered their ability to optimize processes and ensure consistent delivery. Specifically, they struggled with long PR review times and slower deployments.

Challenges Faced

• Insufficient Visibility: Distributed teams made it difficult to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and understand individual contributions.
• Slow PR Reviews:Extended review times slowed down development cycles and impacted overall delivery speed.
• Inconsistent Deployments: Lack of standardized processes and visibility led to unpredictable deployment frequencies.

Discovering a Solution

Stackgen explored several options for improving team visibility and performance. Typo stood out as the ideal solution due to its focus on developer experience, actionable insights, and ability to integrate seamlessly with existing tools.

Reasons for Choosing Typo

• Comprehensive Visibility: Typo offered detailed insights into team performance, workflow bottlenecks, and individual contributions.
• Actionable Insights: Typo provided clear, actionable recommendations for optimizing workflows and addressing bottlenecks based on gathered system and human insights.
• Focus on Developer Experience: Typo even provided a conversational survey tool to help improve developer satisfaction.

Implementation Process

The implementation of Typo was straightforward and minimally disruptive. The Stackgen team quickly integrated Typo with their existing development tools and began leveraging its features.

Implementation Steps:

• Seamless Integration: Typo was easily integrated with Stackgen’s existing tools (e.g., Linear, GitHub).
• Goal Setting: Stackgen established clear goals for improvement in Typo, such as 10-hour PR review time, enabled with Slack alerts to ensure timely reviews.
• Team Onboarding: The Stackgen team received comprehensive training on how to use Typo effectively.

Impact

Within a short period, Typo had a significant positive impact on Stackgen’s engineering efficiency.

• Reduced PR Review Time: By identifying and addressing bottlenecks in the review process, Stackgen reduced PR review time by 30%.
• Increased Deployment Frequency: Improved visibility and standardized processes led to a 50% increase in deployment frequency.
• Better 1-on-1s: Managers used Typo data to have more informed and productive 1-on-1 conversations with their team members.
• Improved Team Morale: Increased efficiency and improved workflows contributed to higher team morale and developer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Typo has become an essential tool for Stackgen, enabling them to effectively manage and scale their remote engineering teams. The platform has provided valuable insights into team performance, facilitated better communication, and driven significant improvements in efficiency.

Key Outcomes

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Stackgen now uses data to inform decisions about process improvements and resource allocation.
• Continuous Improvement: Typo has fostered a culture of continuous improvement within the engineering organization.
• Increased Business Agility: Faster development cycles and more frequent deployments have enabled Stackgen to be more agile and responsive to market demands.