Hardware Engineering Leadership

Photo by Memento Media on Unsplash The previous articles gave an introduction to common roles seen in hardware development teams ( managing roles   and   engineering roles ). Those role descriptions and lists of common responsibilities give a good starting point to think about the tasks it takes to develop a hardware product and the skills required to master the tasks. As a start-up, you won’t hire for each role, you hire for skills and attitude - and flexibility. All team members will certainly switch their hats and jump between different roles, depending on the stage of product development and team size. This counts as much for start-up as for established small and mid-size companies. A tool, I recommend to use from the very beginning, is the Skill Matrix. The skill matrix maps and visualized required and desired skills. Of course, it can also get introduced at any time of the team building process and for every size of team. It serves as a tool for many purposes such as hiring, pers

  Photo by Christophe Hautier on Unsplash This article is co-authored with  Sera Evcimen  of  The Builder Circle by Pratik . Considering whether to hire or outsource is an exciting time for any startup founder. It signifies that you have the necessary funds and a well-defined development and growth plan, and now you require additional manpower to execute your vision. This article aims to explore the advantages and disadvantages of both hiring and outsourcing, providing you with trigger questions to help you make an informed decision. Before delving into the details, it is crucial to ensure that your product development plan has matured in terms of time and product requirements. Additionally, having a clear understanding of the skills available in your current team versus the skills required for your envisioned product development is essential. If you haven't yet addressed these areas, it would be beneficial to invest time into roadmap and skill planning. For insights into effective