How to Scale Engineering Teams from Startup to Corporate
How does an engineering team transition from a scrappy, startup mindset to think in terms of scale? It takes intentionality and strategy. As Coupa has transformed from a small organization to a leader in Business Spend Management, we have grown from a team of two engineers in 2006 to over 900 in the engineering team in 2022. Over the years, our teams have faced growing pains — as Coupa acquired companies, more people and more technologies had to mesh seamlessly together. Below are some of the best practices we have adopted to improve internal communication, improve code quality, and allow our engineers to quickly and efficiently add features.
When a software product is in an early stage and teams are small, design decisions can be made over a quick meeting, code reviews can be done by sitting next to each other, functional testing can be done manually, and deployments can be done at will. As teams grow in size and geographic location and the product matures and expands, communication and strategy on scaling the business becomes of utmost importance to avoid spaghetti code, performance lags, and siloed engineering teams with little integration.
9 ways engineering managers can scale their engineering teams
You may be asking yourself how to manage hundreds of developers, working across dozens of functional teams, across several time zones. It’s important to know where checks and balances should be implemented to ensure quality, efficiency, and knowledge transfers without hampering the speed and efficiency at which a startup operates.
1. Design reviews
At Coupa, all changes regardless of size go through a formal review process, focusing on the functional, technical, performance, and security aspects. Analyzing the impact of the change across the entire suite of software products is very important to prevent unwanted outcomes or confusion for our customers or other engineers trying to add a feature that touches unknown parts of the code or application. Subject matter experts review the changes internally first, and when needed these are lined up for a formal review by our principal architects.
2. Code reviews
To ensure that code being committed doesn’t negatively affect the system, all Github commits are required to have a pull request identifying what has changed and why. Depending on what kind of changes are made, the tool identifies various categories of reviewers to be assigned like API, UI, security, or migration. Reviewers don’t generally stop at finding problems, but they also support developers in making required changes. Reviewers are picked after a thorough evaluation process to ensure there are no loose ends.
3. Data table schemas and data migrations
As customer datasets grow, solutions must be built to allow for zero downtime schema changes. For example, engineers at Coupa built an internal tool which alters a table’s structure without blocking reads or writes to it. When data migration on these large sets of rows is required, Coupa uses a robust framework to divide and conquer the problem by distributing smaller chunks of work to multiple processes.
4. Performance
Keeping the performance implications of proposed changes in mind throughout the entire design and implementation phase of features will save many headaches near the end of a development phase. Coupa engineers have built a framework for testing pull requests on sanitized production data to get early feedback on performance implications. “Labs'’ simulate production scale load and test features to measure if the performance is affected by increased loads. Automations have been built to check the codebase of any increase in memory usage or app-bootup time at the end of every two-week sprint.
5. Reliability
Paired with performance, customers need to expect and trust the software’s reliability throughout each release. Teams at Coupa have KPIs like search response times, page load times, and error rates on calls to third party software that are reviewed regularly so that proper and timely corrections can be made. More importantly, teams should build safeguards around what customers can do with your application. Without these, customers may end up unknowingly exploiting our systems.
6. Code styling
Start-ups sometimes may be more focused releasing and short-term wins rather than long-term maintenance and code quality. To enforce the coding guidelines and standards outlined in the community as well as the company, Coupa engineers use static code analyzers like Rubocop or ESLint as well as code formatters. Reference this article on how to set up these tools.
7. Automation testing
Every pull request should pass the suite of existing tests to ensure the new functionality works as well as all previous functionality that is still intact. Not every part of the application can be tested via unit tests, so Coupa supplements the thousands of unit tests with additional test suites for UI / API / migration / end-to-end tests. Developers and reviewers must ensure appropriate coverage is added within the test suite for the new functionality being added.
8. Application security
Hands-on labs and annual mandatory compliance training should be put in place to make sure all developers know and understand the OWASP Top 10 Security Vulnerabilities that safeguard the application and customers’ data. Delivering a secure and scalable platform is a top priority and Coupa engineering goes above and beyond to ensure compliance so the entire Coupa community feels secure.
9. Release cycles
It’s very important to give customers adequate time to test and plan for upgrades. Coupa Engineering and Documentation teams work together to ensure that all code changes for major releases as well as continuous integration updates for customers are documented well and customers have been properly trained on what they can expect. By having this process in place we keep the channels of communication open and avoid unwanted setbacks.
Growing a global engineering team takes a great balance: productivity vs process. The goal is always to move at the rapid pace of a start-up but have smart (but not cumbersome) processes to keep all engineers informed about architecture and design changes as the team grows. And while Coupa is always #StrivingForExcellence and will never stop improving with that balance, hopefully some of these processes will help with your growing team.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month , we’re recognizing the women who help shape Coupa every day, not only through leadership roles, but through mentorship, advocacy, collaboration, and the many contributions that often happen behind the scenes. In this special episode of Shaping What’s Next at Coupa , guest host Kiri Christensen , representing Coupa’s Empower Employee Resource Group , sits down with Cindy Yi, Senior Vice President of Global HR Business Partners , to explore the theme of this year’s celebration: Leading the Change. Their conversation goes beyond titles and career paths to talk about the people and moments that shape leadership. Cindy reflects on the leaders who influenced her journey and shares a perspective that resonates across organizations: when people feel supported, challenged, and connected, businesses perform better. The episode also shines a light on the idea of “Unsung Heroines,” the mentors, problem-solvers, and team builders whose impact may not always be visible but is foundational to a strong culture. As Cindy explains, recognizing those contributions matters because it expands how we define leadership and impact. “Leadership doesn’t always come from titles or visibility. When we celebrate mentorship, collaboration, and quiet leadership, we reinforce the behaviors that make organizations great.” The conversation also explores the importance of thoughtful courage, the willingness to ask important questions and contribute perspectives that move conversations forward, regardless of title or tenure. And at the heart of it all is a simple but powerful truth: when people feel their voices and contributions matter, they’re empowered to do their best work. That’s what helps organizations grow, innovate, and shape what’s next. Watch Episode 6: Women’s History Month: Unsung Heroines.
Meaningful progress is driven by people who take ownership, collaborate deeply, and consistently raise the bar for what’s possible. Each month, Coupa’s India Leadership Team recognizes individuals who exemplify our values through the Standout Performer Award . This recognition celebrates Coupanians whose contributions make a tangible impact on our teams, our customers, and the business while living our values to Drive Success for #AllOfUs, Own Our Results, Cultivate Belonging, and Build Tomorrow Together. We’re proud to spotlight our December 2025 India Standout Performer Award winners, whose work reflects the heart of Coupa’s culture: proactive, innovative, and people-centered. Meet the winners:
At Coupa, we believe that progress happens because of people who go beyond what’s expected to drive impact, support others, and help shape what’s next. That’s why recognition is such an important part of our culture. As part of our continued commitment to celebrating standout contributions across the business, Coupa’s India Leadership Team recognizes employees each quarter through the Extra Mile Award . This award honors individuals who exemplify our values: Drive Success for #AllOfUs, Own Our Results, Cultivate Belonging, and Build Tomorrow Together through meaningful, real-world impact. We’re proud to spotlight our Q4 2025 India Extra Mile Award winners , whose dedication and leadership continue to raise the bar for excellence at Coupa. Meet the winners:
Leading Change Through Everyday Impact As we kick off Women’s History Month , our Coupa Empower employee resource group is honoring the women whose leadership, influence, and care move our teams, culture, and communities forward — often in ways that aren’t always visible. This year’s theme, Leading the Change , recognizes the builders, mentors, problem-solvers and quiet leaders whose impact shapes how we grow and work together. The Unsung Heroines program highlights employees whose journeys, advocacy, and influence create lasting progress — not just for Coupa, but for the people around them. These are the stories that remind us that recognition isn’t a single moment. It's something we build into our culture every day.
As we welcome the Year of the Fire Horse, our global village comes together to celebrate Lunar New Year — a moment for renewal, reflection, and bold forward momentum for #AllOfUs. This year’s celebration is led by our Coupa Exceed Employee Resource Group, whose leadership continues to create space for cultural connection, shared learning, and deeper belonging across our communities. Through its programming and storytelling, Exceed ERG helps turn moments like this into meaningful global experiences for all Coupanians. In the lunar zodiac, the Horse symbolizes energy, progress, and determination. The Fire element brings passion, visibility, and transformation. That spirit comes to life in how Exceed leads this celebration: Moving with purpose Amplifying voices and traditions Bringing our global community closer together From red envelopes and reunion dinners to travel, lanterns, and time with loved ones, Lunar New Year reminds us that while our backgrounds may be different, the values that connect us are shared.
Engineers at Coupa are shaping what’s next, through code, curiosity, impact, and a shared commitment to building better systems for people and businesses. In celebration of Engineers Week 2026, we asked a few of our engineers how they’re transforming the future: their own, Coupa’s, and the communities we serve. Their answers reflect a profession grounded in purpose, growth, and possibility.
As we continue our Black History Month celebration, Coupa’s Engage employee resource group is proud to spotlight more voices whose journeys reflect the lasting impact of Black innovation in technology. Building on our first feature, this blog highlights Coupanians whose paths into tech weren’t always linear but whose perspectives are shaping how technology, people, and possibility intersect at Coupa. Through the stories of Elise Huggins, Rashida Jones, and Johnny White, we’re reminded that innovation is strongest when it’s grounded in imagination, inclusion, and human purpose.
As Coupa celebrates 20 years of innovation, growth, and impact, it’s the people who’ve grown alongside the company who best reflect what that journey really looks like. For Sukhada Bardapurkar, Partner Success Manager, the last 10 years at Coupa have been shaped by curiosity, connection, and a deep sense of ownership in the results she helps deliver. “At every stage of my career here, I’ve genuinely cared about the impact of my work and how it enables both me and the team to move forward,” Sukhada shares. “Owning results motivates me and it pushes me to stay curious and solve problems proactively.”
At Coupa, we believe great work deserves to be recognized, not just for outcomes but for the commitment, ownership, and impact it brings. From weekly wins to milestone achievements, celebrating excellence is part of how we show up for one another. As part of our evolving rewards and recognition program, the Coupa India Leadership Team introduced the Standout Performer Award (Monthly) and Extra Mile Award (Quarterly) to spotlight Coupanians whose contributions drive individual, team, and business success. We’re proud to recognize our Stan dout Performer Award winner for November 2025 and invite you to join us in celebrating his achievement.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Coupa’s Engage employee resource group honors the resilience, creativity, and leadership of Black pioneers whose innovation has shaped technology and artificial intelligence. This year’s theme, “ Innovation and the Impact of Black Pioneers in Tech and AI ,” recognizes trailblazers who challenged barriers, introduced new ways of thinking, and built pathways for future generations. Through the voices of Coupanians across our organization, we celebrate how those legacies continue to inspire us to innovate with purpose, push boundaries, and help shape what’s next at Coupa.