Speedboats and Supertankers: The Two Rhythms of UK Dev Cycles
Hey everyone, Jamie here.
Since starting my new role, I've been thinking a lot about the environments we build software in. It's not just about the code we write, but the entire rhythm and process surrounding it. One of the biggest factors that dictates this rhythm is the size of the organisation.
Working in a small startup or a solo venture is like captaining a speedboat. You can turn on a sixpence, change direction in an instant, and feel the spray in your face. Working in a large, established enterprise is like steering a supertanker. It's immensely powerful and stable, but changing course requires planning, coordination, and a lot of time.
Having experienced both ends of the spectrum here in the UK, I wanted to share some thoughts on these two very different worlds.
The Speedboat: Small Companies & Startups
This is the world of “move fast and break things” (though hopefully, you fix them just as fast). It's often characterized by small, cross-functional teams, or even solo developers, where everyone wears multiple hats.
The Vibe:
- Direct Impact: You can have an idea in the morning, code it in the afternoon, and deploy it before you log off. The feedback loop is immediate and incredibly satisfying.
- Minimal Process: Forget Change Advisory Boards. A “change request” is often just a quick chat over Slack or a new ticket in Jira. The priority is getting features out to users and iterating based on their feedback.
- High Ownership: You're not just a coder. You're often part of the product, support, and QA process. You feel a deep sense of ownership because your fingerprints are all over the entire product.
The Trade-offs:
- Chaos can reign. Without formal processes, it's easy for things to get messy. Documentation can be sparse, and tech debt can accumulate at an alarming rate.
- You are the safety net. There might not be a dedicated QA team. If you push a bug, you're likely the one getting the alert and fixing it late at night.
- It can be a high-pressure environment, constantly balancing speed with the need for a stable product.
This environment is thrilling and perfect for those who love agility and seeing their direct impact on a product's growth.
The Supertanker: Large Enterprises & Corporations
This is a world of structure, process, and specialization. It's built around mitigating risk and ensuring stability for a large user base or critical business operations.
The Vibe:
- Structured & Deliberate: There are well-defined processes for everything. A new feature will go through product management, design, development, multiple stages of QA (including regression and performance testing), security reviews, and finally, a scheduled release window.
- Specialized Roles: You're part of a larger machine. There are dedicated DevOps engineers, database administrators, QA analysts, and project managers. Your job is to focus purely on development, and you have experts to rely on for other areas.
- Scale & Stability: The “blast radius” of any change is huge. A bug could impact thousands, or even millions, of users or financial transactions. Therefore, every change is meticulously planned and tested.
The Trade-offs:
- The pace can feel slow. That “quick text change” might take two weeks to get to production because it has to follow the established release train. Bureaucracy is a real factor.
- Your individual impact can feel diluted. You're a vital cog, but just one among many. It can sometimes be harder to see the direct line from your code to the end-user's happiness.
- You have less freedom to choose your tools or make architectural decisions on the fly.
This environment is excellent for those who appreciate stability, want to work on large-scale problems, and value having a structured process and a deep support system of specialists.
Why the Difference? It's All About Risk
Neither approach is inherently “better”—they are simply different solutions to different problems.
- The Speedboat optimizes for speed and learning. Its biggest risk is failing to find a market or running out of runway. It needs to move fast.
- The Supertanker optimizes for stability and predictability. Its biggest risk is breaking a system that already works for a massive user base. It needs to be cautious.
My journey has taught me to appreciate both. There's an undeniable thrill in the agility of a small team, but there's also a deep professional satisfaction in contributing to a large, stable system and learning from specialists in a structured environment.
Understanding which rhythm suits you best at a given point in your career is key. Sometimes you want to race, and sometimes you want to sail a steady course.
What's your experience been like? Are you on a speedboat or a supertanker? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Cheers,
Jamie C