Building & Sustaining High-Performing Engineering Teams

An in-person roundtable for CTOs & VPs of Engineering

💡 Identifying and resolving blockers to collaboration, delivery, and trust
💡 Coaching and developing individuals without creating a blame culture
💡 Embedding a mindset of continuous improvement through metrics and leadership behaviours

The session was moderated by Ben Brown, VP of Engineering @ UnderwriteMe and hosted by Simon Evans, Senior Director & Engineering Leadership Consultant.

1. Clarity on Expectations:
Clear definitions of "what good looks like" are vital. Without them, accountability is lost.   

2. Performance Metrics & Evidence of Impact:
Use tools like DX, DORA, and Jellyfish to objectively assess performance and avoid gaming the system.

3. Empowerment Needs Accountability:
Trust without structure can backfire. Balance autonomy with clear ownership and measurable delivery.

4. Cultural Transformation Takes Time (but action too):
Even if change takes 12–18 months, making decisive actions are worth it.

5. Early Careers Matter:
Grads and interns bring energy, fearlessness, and adaptability, critical for long-term team health.

6. Create Exemplar Teams:
Model high performance by building new teams internally or blending with external talent. Let results speak.

7. Transparency > Perfection:
Pulse surveys are useful but low response rates distort reality. Focus on understanding the full picture.

8. Leadership Is the Lever:
Strong leadership at every level, from ICs to directors, is the foundation for change. Poor leadership magnifies underperformance.

📝 Key Take aways:

Empowerment and Accountability

Autonomy works best when it’s paired with shared responsibility.

• Encourage ownership through demos, visible progress reports, and shared team goals.

• Avoid extremes: overly top-down or fully hands-off approaches both carry risks.

Is It All About the Tech Debt?

Tech debt is important, but is it the most important focus to report on?

• Prioritise legacy migrations and unfinished processes.

• Track progress transparently with leadership without attributing blame.

• A single, shared view of tech debt helps manage expectations across the business.

Culture Boosting

• Focus on behaviour change through demonstrated success, not just theoretical training.

• Create excitement by giving exemplar teams interesting projects.

• Implement just enough process to enable change without over-engineering.

• Regular team socials build rapport, especially helpful for remote teams.

Measure Progress

Encourage honest — even anonymous — feedback to gain a fuller picture of your teams.

• Start with DORA metrics, widely used for deployment health, dev efficiency, and team engagement.

• Avoid vanity metrics; focus on delivery quality, shipping regularity, and team sentiment.

• Link developer experience insights (DX) to tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor for richer data.

Judging Team Excitement & Involvement

Pulse scores and DX data can mislead if taken at face value.

• A low engagement score might reflect a vocal minority, not the whole team.

• Ask: What do the silent voices actually think?

• Be careful when creating action points based on incomplete or skewed data.

Start With Clarity

What does good look like?

• Create exemplar teams of strong performers to set the benchmark for quality, delivery, and mindset.

• Use them to role-model behaviours across the organisation.

Communicate the why:

• Set clear role expectations, especially in flatter structures.

• Use behavioural rubrics or performance frameworks to define standards.

• Provide frequent direction, even when broader strategy is evolving.

Benefit From Grads & Interns

Early careers talent can provide momentum, curiosity, and cultural lift.

• Pilot programmes with grads and interns don’t need to be resource-heavy.

• Small initiatives can have a big impact on energy and culture.

Lessons from the Discussion

This session explored how engineering leaders maintain delivery standards, boost engagement, and reinvigorate performance in:

• Fast-scaling teams

• Post-restructure environments

• Organisations overcoming complex product and platform challenges

Our moderator:

Ben Brown — VP of Engineering
LinkedIn

🔗 Download the full summary sheet.

If you're a tech leader and this sounds interesting to you, get in touch with Simon Evans to request a spot or express interest in future events.

📧simon@burnssheehan.co.uk