Complexity of building a team and key expectations

It’s important to understand how complex this matter is and what electronic development really involves. From that stems the vision, expectations, and the plan for building and maintaining such a team.

Ideal team size and structure

If we expect reasonable quality, efficiency, substitutability of team members, and overall diversification of common risks, then the ideal team consists of at least 4 developers – two for electronics and two for firmware. 

This is the theoretical baseline. In practice, firmware usually requires more hours, so for two electronics developers you typically need three to four firmware developers. The problem arises if one electronics developer drops out – that’s a 50% capacity loss, which is critical. Even more so if the remaining developer has to onboard a newcomer at the same time.

This means that, if we want an efficient, well-cooperating team and smooth project flow without unnecessary delays, the minimum per specialization is three people. For a full development team, that totals 7 members.

In such small teams, it is common for juniors to take on testing roles, while more senior developers handle solution architecture and team management. This is usually the responsibility of one or two members. Collaboration between two team leaders ensures partial diversification and continuity in case one of them is ill or absent.

Documentation, communication, and code handover

Another reason for having multiple team members is that if only one person worked on the task, there would not be sufficient oversight of the architecture and the design itself.

In development, communication and ongoing review of all parts are essential. Collaboration among several people ensures that the code is transferable and the documentation is clear even for those who are not directly involved in the process.

Risks of single-developer projects

A problem can occur when a developer starts a project alone and unfortunately designs the architecture or chooses unsuitable technologies simply because they know them. This often leads to code written in a style only they understand, ignoring coding standards and with poor or no documentation. In the early stages, they may be able to deliver a lot of output quickly, making the work look highly efficient. But over time, maintenance overwhelms them so much that there is no capacity left for further development. At that point, even the developer themselves struggles to navigate their own work, and it becomes nearly impossible to bring someone else into the project.

This can result in thousands or even tens of thousands of hours being invested. Owners may think they hold know-how of that value, but in reality, they become dependent on one or two employees. A strong team of developers could have built the same solution in a sustainable, scalable way — and in significantly less time.

This happens in firmware development, but the same principle applies to electronics development.

For skilled developers, it is essential to work in a team where they are not the only expert in their field, but where they can consult and collaborate with others on the same topic.

Team as an environment for growth and knowledge sharing

A team stimulates productivity, efficiency, and personal growth. When a new member joins, it’s easier to assess their skills and performance compared to others, than if they were the sole expert in a field.

Talented people are drawn to interesting and diverse work, so having a variety of projects is key to keeping them engaged and motivated long-term.

Recruitment is a marathon, not a sprint

Building such a team means finding developers who are both skilled and a good fit. In practice, this works out at about a 1:10 ratio — out of ten candidates, you may find one who is truly interested in team-based work. You also need the ability and capacity to assess them properly, and sometimes to let them go.

Statistically, only about half of these carefully selected hires will stay long-term — so roughly 1 in 2.

If you lack experience, the ideal approach is to use a recruitment agency. Whether you handle it yourself or through an agency, you should plan for recruitment costs of at least 10,000 EUR per developer. If it works out cheaper, that’s great — but you cannot rely on that in your business plan.

Recruitment usually takes at least one month, often several. Even building a small, high-quality team takes years, and it cannot realistically be accelerated by throwing more money at recruitment.

If you want to build a strong team, it is simply not achievable within a matter of months.

Consider whether building your own team is worth it

The average annual cost of a single developer, including equipment and workspace, is around 55,400 EUR. That’s about 4,600 EUR per month.

When you factor in holidays, public holidays, sick leave, etc., one development hour costs roughly 33 EUR/hour — plus recruitment costs and more.

That’s why it’s worth considering whether building your own development team is truly beneficial, or whether it will turn into an expensive burden. There are rare exceptions where one person can successfully handle both electronics and firmware and set up a solid foundation for the future — but such cases are very unusual.

If the company does not have someone experienced, or lacks candidates for comparison, it is unlikely they will make the right hiring decisions.

Summary: Building a team is time- and resource-intensive.

For companies that want timely product development and aim to be first to market, setting up their own development team is risky and lengthy. They need to focus on their core business and other obligations. Building an in-house team would put a significant strain on them.