Glue Work: The Hidden Hero of Team Success

"Glue work is expected when you're senior and risky when you're not." - Tanya Reilly

I love watching sports, not only for the excitement and the tribal feeling of supporting one side but also for the strategy and the amount of data produced. It's no secret that sometimes I find it more fun to watch a baseball game with one eye on the numbers and the other on the game itself. My fascination is special in the outlier seasons. If you follow team sports, you may know that building a successful team requires more than just a lineup of superstars and a skilled manager. Jose Mourinho’s Porto in the 2003-04 Champions League, Greece in the Euro of 2004, Leicester City in the Premier League of 2015-16, my elementary school soccer team, all these teams were underdogs producing dream seasons. This phenomenon has led many to search for the secret sauce behind successful teams, hoping to apply it to other fields.

Software development is one of those fields. The presence of 10x engineers alone doesn't guarantee a high-performing team. Money is not enough, no matter how expert or deep technical engineers you hire. A skilled coach is also not enough (ask the Mexican soccer team) even if you have a team with talent. Over the years, various books and studies have explored the formula for creating dream teams. Anecdotally, I've been part of teams that were enjoyable but not particularly productive, as well as teams that delivered results but were stressful to work with. Fortunately, I've also experienced the joy of being in teams that were both fun and impactful. They all have a special place in my heart and CV.

A few years back, I had the privilege of working on one of the most enjoyable, fun, and high-performing teams at Microsoft (anecdotally). Despite being a small team of six, we managed the operations of an organization with hundreds of people. We had Taco Truck Tuesday's, and code freeze Friday's. At that point, I considered myself a very experienced software developer, having received several promotions and awards through my life. However, I always attributed my success to the impact my code or deliverables produced, priding myself on showcasing the right value for our customers or stakeholders (plot twist: I was wrong). One day, the project manager came to us with a post about a new concept in terms of team dynamics: the glue.

Glue work refers to the often-overlooked tasks that hold a team together. It is the glue work that sometimes goes unnoticed, but it is necessary to have a functional team, it may be strong glue or weak one, but nevertheless necessary. It includes reviewing design documents, onboarding new people, giving belonging cues, and organizing coffee chats. This work sometimes feels less technical and, hence, less valuable, but it enables and empower teams to deliver amazing results. It's like the sports player making jokes in the dressing room or the one giving motivational speeches. Sometimes, this work is the responsibility of the manager or the tech lead in an implicit way, but most of the time, it is expected from senior or staff engineers.

When this project manager brought up the concept, I immediately recognized who was doing most of the glue work, and she is still one of my favorite scrum-masters I have ever had, definitely the one who organized the best retrospectives. She kept track of actionable items, set the stage for meetings, and even sent birthday cards. In every meeting, she was making sure inclusivity took a main stage character.

Sadly, most of the time, this work is not recognized. During college, I didn’t appreciate the student who organized group projects and provided a space for meetings. In most companies, promotions are usually given to those who write the best code or design the architecture. Unfair or not, pure glue work is not enough. On the bright side, individuals who excel in both hard and soft skills hold a distinct advantage.

Finding someone who can write excellent code, enforce coding standards, advocate for engineering best practices. Someone who is always vocal on building the right thing. Someone who automates, documents, communicates, but also creates the product. Someone who reaches out to others to offer help and share knowledge selflessly. Someone who adds the glue to the team and the product, something that, when the product is complete, cannot be seen and sometimes only traces can be found if the product is dissected.

These people act like senior engineers or tacit leaders, even if that is not their title. They sometimes do not want the title, they want to focus on technical stuff, but it is in their nature to help others, so do not force them to get a management position or something "less technical". But, if you are lucky enough to hire one of them, keep them, cherish them, help them, and promote them. If you spot one in the wild, catch them like a rare Pokémon. That's why I am so bullish and supportive when I find someone who has those traits. I get excited whenever I meet someone with these qualities.

Shameless plug: As today, August 2024 my friend Brooke Sweedar is trying to enter into tech. And she is one of those who combine soft-skills, hard-skills and glue-work. If you are lucky, you will see the impact she will make on her next team, so go hire her.

Specific examples of Glue Work

Recognizing these traits is sometimes fuzzy, here are 13 examples I can think of glue work in software development:

1. Knowledge Sharing and Documentation: Creating and maintaining documentation, writing tutorials, and sharing best practices to ensure that team knowledge is accessible and up to date.

2. Facilitating Communication: Setting up and managing communication tools (e.g., Slack channels, teams’ channels, email lists), ensuring that team members are informed about project updates, and promoting open communication.

3. Onboarding and Mentoring: Assisting new hires with their onboarding process, providing mentorship, and helping them understand the team's tools, processes, and culture.

4. Organizing Team Building Activities: Planning social events, team outings, or virtual hangouts to foster team cohesion and improve morale.

5. Process Improvement: Identifying bottlenecks in workflows, proposing enhancements to existing processes, and ensuring that best practices are followed across the team.

6. Coordinating Cross-Team Collaboration: Acting as a bridge between different teams or departments, facilitating communication, and ensuring alignment on project goals and timelines.

7. Conflict Resolution: Addressing and mediating conflicts within the team, helping to resolve misunderstandings, and maintaining a positive working environment.

8. Ensuring Inclusivity: Promoting diversity and inclusion by encouraging diverse perspectives, ensuring that all team members feel valued and respected, and advocating for inclusive practices.

9. Managing Administrative Tasks: Scheduling meetings, coordinating project timelines, handling logistics for team events, and taking care of other administrative details that keep the team organized.

10. Championing Team Culture and Values: Reinforcing the team's values and culture, encouraging behaviors that align with these values, and fostering a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.

11. Organizing and Facilitating Meetings: Setting agendas, leading meetings, ensuring that discussions stay on track, and following up on action items to ensure accountability.

12. Maintaining Technical Infrastructure: Setting up and maintaining development environments, ensuring that tools and systems are available and functioning properly, and managing access permissions.

13. Recognizing and Celebrating Achievements: Acknowledging team members' contributions, celebrating milestones and successes, and ensuring that hard work and achievements are recognized.

Other articles about glue work

My favorites are Glue work and how it affects women’s career development by Camila Granella and Being Glue by Tanya Reilly.