Title: Our Team Shrunk to Two - and We Made It Work 

URL: https://www.infobip.com/engineering/our-team-shrunk-to-two-and-we-made-it-work

What do you do when PR requires two approvals (excluding yourself), but u003cstrongu003eyour team is reduced to just two peopleu003c/strongu003e - including you - and the holiday season is fast approaching? 

I found myself in this exact situation with my team, and we managed to make it work. 

## What should we do?

There were two obvious things we could do: 

u003cliu003eThe first and most obvious was to u003cstrongu003ereduce the number of PR approvals u003c/strongu003eto just one before merging.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eThe second, and more crucial point, was that both of us needed to have at least a u003cstrongu003ebasic understanding of all the repos in our Gitu003c/strongu003e.u003c/liu003e

We quickly realized that we u003cstrongu003ecouldn’t rely solely on our usual knowledgeu003c/strongu003e, so we made it a point to ask more questions, schedule additional demos, and have more in-depth discussions around changes.  

By doing this, we were able to align on the outcomes of those changes and anticipate how they could affect the rest of the product. It wasn’t easy, but it worked - allowing us to stay on track despite the limited team and looming holiday season. 

## The next wave of obstacles

After we sorted the first problem, another, possibly bigger, issue cropped up.

So, how do you find an out-of-the-box solution when your team has similar experience over the past couple of years? 

u003cstrongu003eBring in a third, unofficial, or unconventional memberu003c/strongu003e. 

Wa asked for help from our principal engineer, who was part of our team till recently when he had to move to another project, and his assistance helped us move forward. 

Additionally, my approach was to have u003cstrongu003emore in-depth discussions with the person who made the requesu003c/strongu003et to gather new ideas and gain a different perspective on how to tackle the task.

I also began u003cstrongu003epresenting my solution ideas dailyu003c/strongu003e, even if they weren’t fully fleshed out or I lacked confidence in them at the time.  

These two strategies significantly reduced development time and enhanced efficiency. 

## Along with technical problems came non-technical ones

Once all the technical challenges were addressed, we were hit with an additional surprise - non-technical challenges, most notably u003cstrongu003ethe lack of progress on tasks during meetingsu003c/strongu003e. 

In a larger team, it’s easier to divide your attention during meetings to tackle important tasks, knowing that I can rely on others to provide answers if I get distracted or need to focus on something else.  

However, when the team is reduced to just two people, the situation changes.  

With only two of us, there’s always a high chance - anywhere between 50% and 100% - that my input will be crucial during a meeting. This forced me to u003cstrongu003ecarefully consider when to accept meeting requestsu003c/strongu003e, as I had to be fully prepared to contribute and stay engaged at all times. 

## Unexpected advantages of a small team

Not everything about a small team is negative, though.  

One key benefit of being in a two-person team was u003cstrongu003ethe opportunity to take on every aspect of the worku003c/strongu003e. It gave me the chance to discover the skills that suited me best and where I excelled. It also helped improve our efficiency and allowed us to adjust our ceremonies to be as effective as possible. 

However, it also u003cstrongu003epushed me out of my comfort zoneu003c/strongu003e. I had to take over a project that had been abandoned by a previous team member. The project had a tight deadline, half of it was still undefined, and I had no idea where to begin. Needless to say, I felt both overwhelmed and inadequate in that situation. 

Looking back, I’d say it was u003cstrongu003ethe best thing to happen in my careeru003c/strongu003e. I gained a lot of technical experience, enhanced my people skills, and, most importantly, I developed a stronger sense of self-esteem and a clearer understanding of my capabilities. 

## You need a u0022third weelu0022!

Of course, having a two-person team long-term wasn't realistic, so u003cstrongu003ewe began bringing in new team membersu003c/strongu003e who undoubtedly benefited from the clear division of workload we had established. 

But both of us survivers learned about each other's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the knowledge we could pass on to new team members. 

For anyone in a similar situation, I’d highly recommend u003cstrongu003eusing the opportunity to redefine your role within the teamu003c/strongu003e and learn new skills.  

And, naturally, bring in more team members - because coordinating vacations with just two people can be a challenge!