Introduction

In today’s dynamic business environment, a robust tech culture is crucial for driving innovation, attracting top talent, and ensuring scalable growth. At QIMA, we have cultivated a strong tech culture that empowers our teams to excel in these areas. In this article, I will share our insights and best practices in building and maintaining a thriving tech culture, with a focus on recent experiences and successful strategies.

The Fundamentals of Tech Culture at QIMA

A strong tech culture is rooted in the core values of the organization. At QIMA, our values are not just statements; they guide our daily actions and decisions. These values include:

  • Client Passion: We listen, deliver, and care, relentlessly helping our clients succeed.
  • Integrity: Trust is at the core of everything we do, with no compromises.
  • Make It Simple: Simplification saves time and enhances user experience.
  • Beauty Everywhere: We design with daring and craft meaningful experiences.
  • Own It: We take responsibility and hold ourselves accountable.
  • Make It Count: We focus our efforts and measure impact.
  • Embrace Change: Agility and innovation keep us ahead.
  • Grow Together: We cultivate talent with fairness and fun.

These values align closely with the Agile Manifesto and are the foundation of our tech culture.

Concrete Practices to Embody and Implement the Tech Culture

As the Director of Software Engineering, my role is crucial in concretizing and embodying our tech culture. Here are some of the key practices we have implemented at QIMA:

  • Bi-Weekly Tech Grooming Sessions:

    These sessions are specifically designed to prepare and plan technical tasks that improve the efficiency of our tech environment. While these efforts are separate from the product roadmap, they play a crucial role in enhancing our ability to serve the business effectively. Developers are responsible for defining the technical tasks they will be working on, ensuring alignment with the team’s goals. Additionally, they may allocate up to 20% of their bandwidth to proactively improve and refine the system, fostering continuous progress and innovation within our tech ecosystem.
  • Hackathons :

    Regular hackathons encourage innovation and stimulate creativity. For example, during our last hackathon, we developed several promising projects, such as:
    • Using AI to extract structured address data from unstructured data.
    • Automatic annotation of photos through AI analysis.
    • A specialized chatbot to answer inspectors' questions.
    • AI-assisted search tools. Although turning these ideas into tangible business impacts is challenging due to competing priorities, we continue to refine our approach to maximize the realization of hackathon projects.
  • Empowering Team Autonomy through Cross-Platform Proficiency:

    We actively encourage teams to cultivate proficiency across a diverse array of platforms, tools, and technologies, empowering them to build a well-rounded, versatile skill set. This not only enhances individual expertise but also strengthens collective problem-solving capabilities, allowing teams to adapt seamlessly to evolving challenges. By fostering such a culture of continuous learning and technological agility, we aim to increase overall team autonomy, enabling them to take ownership of projects and drive innovation with confidence and efficiency.

Impact of Tech Culture on Organization and Business Goals

Tech culture should reflect and align with the organizational structure and business goals. At QIMA, we have successfully aligned our tech culture with our business objectives to maximize efficiency and agility. This alignment was evident in a recent challenge we faced:

  • Preparing for the High Season:
    One of our supported businesses required us to be ready for the high season in July. This urgency necessitated a temporary restructuring of teams to ensure timely deployment of solutions. Rather than dictating changes from the top, we placed trust in our engineers to self-organize and devise a plan. The teams proposed and executed a comprehensive action plan, demonstrating their capability to adapt and respond effectively to high-pressure situations.
    This example underscores the importance of treating engineers as responsible adults capable of exercising good judgment and creativity.

Recruitment and Evolution of Tech Culture

Recruitment plays a crucial role in maintaining and evolving our tech culture. At QIMA, we prioritize culture fit during the hiring process, involving current team members to ensure alignment with our values. Our onboarding and training processes are designed to instill these values from day one, ensuring new hires are well-integrated and aligned with our cultural norms.

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a strong tech culture is essential for driving innovation, recruitment efficacy, and scalable growth. At QIMA, we leverage practices such as tech grooming sessions, hackathons, and fostering team autonomy to create an environment where innovation and excellence thrive. Our experience in preparing for the high season highlights the power of trust and self-organization in achieving business goals.

Call to Action

We hope these insights inspire you to explore and implement similar strategies in your own organizations. Share your experiences and challenges in building a tech culture in the comments!