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4.5. Engineering Team Structures

Every tech company is structured a little differently—but once you’ve seen a few setups, patterns start to emerge.

NOTE: The structures described here are common, but not universal. Each company may have its own variations and nuances and the semantic I've used here may not match exactly with how your company describes its teams.

Let’s break down how software teams are usually organized, and what each structure means for you.

Feature Teams​

These teams are organized around delivering features to users.

  • Each team owns a slice of the product (e.g. “Payments Team,” “Chat Team”)
  • Includes frontend, backend, PM, designer, and maybe QA all working together
  • Team is responsible for building, testing, and maintaining their piece of the app

Good for: End-to-end ownership, learning how all parts of the stack connect Challenges: You might have to work in areas you’re unfamiliar with (e.g. frontend and backend)

Functional Teams​

Organized by discipline, not by product area.

  • There’s a “Frontend Team,” a “Backend Team,” a “Data Team,” etc.
  • These teams often collaborate with other functions to deliver features
  • Leads to deep specialization and shared best practices within disciplines

Good for: Mentorship within your skill set, consistent tooling Challenges: Slower delivery—features need coordination across teams

Platform / Infrastructure Teams​

Focus on building internal tools and enabling other developers.

  • Handle CI/CD, observability, deployment pipelines, shared services
  • Rarely user-facing—success is measured by how well they support product teams
  • Work with tools like Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Terraform, etc.

Good for: Deep systems knowledge, scaling, automation Challenges: Less visibility, sometimes seen as “support” roles

Product vs. Platform Split​

At medium-to-large companies, teams are often divided into product and platform:

  • Product teams: Own features the user directly interacts with
  • Platform teams: Build shared infrastructure and services used by other teams

This model allows product teams to move fast, while platform teams maintain consistency and scalability.

Flat vs. Hierarchical​

Some teams are flat—everyone is an engineer with equal say. Others are hierarchical, with senior engineers or tech leads making the final call.

  • Flat: more autonomy, more collaboration
  • Hierarchical: more clarity, easier delegation

The right balance depends on team size, experience level, and culture.