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.
There are many great benefits to working at Coupa, and one that truly makes a difference is our robust Volunteer Time Off. While many companies and organizations encourage employees to take time off to volunteer, offering at least 8 hours a year, Coupa provides a generous 40 hours - a whole week. This extended time allows our employees to make a significant impact in their communities, and many Coupanians across the globe are proud of the difference they are making. Here’s why they love this robust benefit and how they give back:
Coupa Engineering has reaped tremendous benefits from integrating automation into the testing strategy, resulting in reduced effort and timelines for delivering a higher-quality product. These advantages stem from Coupa's top-down transformation approach based on the “Three R” pillars of Reliability, Repeatability & Reusability, thereby increasing quality, productivity & cost optimization. The primary benefits of automation, including test reusability, expanded test coverage, and earlier feedback and bug detection, are driving engineers and organizations to shift away from manual efforts. Automation surpasses manual testing by simulating simultaneous users and requests on applications, including calls from various platforms and devices, which is nearly impossible to achieve manually. However, this transition is not an overnight task, as engineers need to overcome numerous challenges, from designing a strategy to acquiring the necessary knowledge, skillsets, and tools. Coupa’s Top-Down Transformation Approach Coupa Quality Engineering took this challenge and evolved a transformation approach based on the “Three R” pillars . As depicted below, with each transformation in our Top-Down Approach, we encapsulate benefits of the previous stage along with additional benefits derived from the transition stage, thereby making it a more and more effective and efficient approach to follow-on.
Steve Taylor, VP of Inclusion and Impact, shares his inspiring journey from program developer to human resources. “It’s been a tapestry of experiences,” he says. Read on. I started my career as a program developer, working closely with our customers. I had the opportunity to collaborate with various clients, including Coupa, which sparked my passion for customer interaction. I enjoyed what I did immensely; however, as time passed, I felt a shift in my journey calling me toward a new challenge—a pivot to the support side of our organization. The turning point in my career came unexpectedly. During a casual encounter, I met Susan Toyhama, our Chief Human Resources Officer, and we started conversing while preparing for an upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day presentation. That conversation opened up new ideas and perspectives on what inclusion and diversity genuinely mean to me. My passion became clear: connecting with people, understanding different cultures, and championing their stories. Soon after, an opportunity arose for a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) expert role. My curiosity was piqued, and rather than jumping in headfirst, I sought the counsel of my trusted circle—my wife, friends, family, and mentors. However, a conversation with a general, who has become a dear friend, ultimately shaped my decision. He encouraged me by saying, “This is the perfect job for you. You have a natural ability with people and communication. You can’t pass this opportunity up.” For three months, I weighed the decision, ultimately realizing that it was my duty—my requirement as a human—to help my brothers and sisters grow and learn. The only thing holding me back was the misconception that HR wasn’t for me. I had my doubts, but eventually, I understood that this role was about more than just policies and procedures; it was about connecting with individuals and making a difference in their lives. Although navigating this new terrain felt natural and unnatural at times, it was clear that my purpose aligns with the job: talking to people, listening to their stories, and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. It is an honor and a privilege to have the platform to engage with diverse perspectives and to create a positive impact in our organization. Ultimately, my journey has taught me that embracing opportunity often requires stepping outside your comfort zone. My passion lies in the world of inclusion and impact, and I look forward to the road ahead, filled with meaningful conversations and lasting connections.
In the world of product development, success isn’t the result of one hero’s solo mission. It’s about assembling a team of specialists—each with unique superpowers—who unite to tackle challenges, defend against bugs, and deliver experiences that delight users. Think of it as forming your very own Avengers™ team, where Product Management (PM), Development, Quality Engineering (QE), and User Experience ........(UX) team up to save the day
What an incredible week we had! Thanks to the passion and dedication of our amazing Coupa family, we celebrated Global Impact Week like never before! With 13 countries participating and 38 local-led events, we exceeded last year’s participation with over 500 employees stepping up to make a positive change. We truly could not have done this without each and every one of you—thank you! Here are some of the highlights that made this week so special:
Q & A from our Sales Team
Most people at Coupa say they love this company because of the great culture and joy of working with “The Village,” a term referring to our global workforce. This year, we are double-clicking on what behaviors make that culture thrive by creating nine “Leadership Competencies,” or ways we want to interact with each other regardless of your title, background, team, or length of time at Coupa.
I am Maggie Mae Joy, Senior Director of Product Management, supporting our Source-to-Contract and Spend Analysis product teams. I’ve been at Coupa since August 2013, based in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. I started my career out of college as a consultant supporting the SAP implementation of a global automotive warranty system for one of the big three. Leveraging that consulting experience, I joined Coupa as a Solution Architect, supporting our customers and partners in implementing the Coupa platform before transitioning into a Product Management role. What I enjoy most about working at Coupa is the opportunity to use my time here as a professional and personal growth platform. Coming to Coupa with a background in systems implementation allowed me to hit the ground running in my first position as a Solution Architect. Those skills and a deep passion for improving the user experience helped me take my career in a different direction and join the product team. Through Coupa’s incredibly supportive culture, I found mentors & leadership training that enabled my development in product management. As I’ve transitioned between supporting different product areas over the past eight years, I’ve continued to be challenged to expand my knowledge, learn new skills, and connect with more of the Coupa community.
Hello everyone, My name is Alex Moon, AI Trainer, at AI Center of Excellence in Foster City. I’ve been at Coupa since September 2022. I started my career as a Korean Knowledge Graph Curator, curating Korean language data to train Siri model, then went onto Tesla’s Autopilot team, organizing and annotating 3D image data to train Autopilot Neural Net. As an AI Trainer, the team and I analyze and organize Coupa’s $6T anonymized data to provide spending and saving insight, supplier recommendation, supplier diversity and track emission to meet the ESG goal, and fraudulent charge detection (Spend Guard). We are also working on output testing for LLM implementation to build Coupa’s Chatbot, Coupa Navi and Contract Intelligence platform. What I love the most about Coupa is working with extremely smart PM, Data Scientists, and Engineers to develop Coupa’s AI and GenAI product. I also really enjoy Coupa’s flexibility in working schedule and location as a remote-first company, and Coupa’s diverse team makes me feel at home while having ownership and responsibility of training our AI models.
In 2021, I joined Coupa as a dual student pursuing my International Business Bachelor’s degree. In my application process, Coupa stood out as the best option for many reasons: its international presence, with offices spread across different countries; its workforce, which is composed of people from all over the world, creating an amazingly diverse and open work environment; and finally, I recognized in Coupa many opportunities for both professional and personal growth and learning. Upon joining the company, I discovered that my impressions were accurate, and the welcoming and friendly environment I had anticipated were in fact real. As part of the dual study program, I rotated through various departments within the organization, including sales, digital marketing, and HR. Each of them showed me a different perspective into Coupa’s operations; I learnt their processes and took on responsibilities myself, which allowed me to develop several skills. This valuable growth was made possible through the guidance and support of many talented colleagues, who trained me during my time in each department.