Scaling a Product? Here’s How to Prepare Your Codebase and Your Team

Let’s imagine this: you have an MVP that turned out successful, it’s getting real user traction, and now it’s time to think about your next step for growth. Product scaling is a big step, and you have to make sure not only your product is ready but your codebase and team as well.

In today’s article, we will take a look at what happens when you start scaling, how to make sure your codebase can handle the increased load, and how to prepare your team. The main goal is to improve and grow the product without having to start from scratch all over again.

What Changes When You Start to Scale

There are lots of things that change once you start product scaling, and these changes are not always positive ones. Think about the start: you had a small team and a simple tech stack, and your product had minimal features, just enough to get by. But now that more and more users have started using it and more features are being developed, things might start to get a bit complicated.

First, your codebase might not be able to handle more users efficiently, meaning what worked with a hundred users might now work as well with thousands. This can impact the overall performance of your software, and it can slow things down. Refactoring and improving code quality become a priority when dealing with these issues.

Your team will also feel the shift. As your product grows, new members join your existing team to help out with different tasks and parts of the project. The small team might struggle with this change from the beginning. It’s very important to prioritize clear communication within the team so everyone is on the same page at all times.

Scaling is a great thing and the start of a new exciting journey. But it does come with complexities and changes in code and team alignment. Product scaling means new tools, more responsibilities, and focusing on maintaining high quality in the process.

Preparing Your Codebase for Scale

When planning for scaling your product, your codebase is one of the first things to look at. You don’t want your app to crash when things take off, so preparing right should be a priority. But what does this mean for your codebase?

For starters, start by focusing on performance. Your app should be able to handle a larger load, otherwise, issues will pile up. What worked in the beginning, might not work with a scaled product just as well. This is why optimizing parts of your code that are critical to performance, like database queries, API calls, and memory usage is essential.

As your product grows, so does the complexity of your code. Focusing on modularity is another essential part of scaling. Basically, this means breaking your codebase into smaller, reusable modules instead of working with a single massive one. Later, this will help you scale specific parts of your app more easily without affecting the whole system.

Testing should also be a priority when scaling. Since the number of your features and edge cases increases, regular testing should be part of your scaling process. Automated testing will be very helpful here, making sure nothing breaks with the new changes.

And lastly, don’t forget to keep an eye on technical debt. Pushing aside important stuff during the rush of adding new features can make it harder to maintain performance and scale your app. So, make sure to refactor your code regularly to keep it clean.

Preparing Your Team for Scale

Scaling an app does come with technical challenges, but team challenges as well. Let’s talk about those, and what you can do to make it easier for your team to adjust to the changes.

For starters, scaling comes with new members joining your team, so make sure you are prepared when it comes to onboarding. Don’t overcomplicate it—a simple onboarding process will make it easier for everyone. Get new team members up to speed with the project and encourage communication.

Focus on clarity also. Every member of your team should know what their main responsibilities are. Vague roles can cause confusion, so make ownership clear from the start. Who’s responsible for which part of the codebase? Who handles releases?

Next, there’s communication. This aspect is essential for your team to stay aligned. Instead of relying only on back-and-forth Slack messages, set up weekly meetings, syncs, or standups for your team to regularly check, and follow a shared roadmap. Make sure everyone knows what’s going on.

Scaling Doesn’t Mean Rebuilding Everything

The biggest misconception about scaling is that you have to completely rebuild everything from scratch when you decide to grow your product. You don’t. Actually, most of the time, you shouldn’t.

While some parts of the code will have adjustments and need refactoring, that doesn’t mean your whole system is broken. Think about scaling as a way to find weak spots and come up with solutions to fix them, thinking long-term.

Look at what’s working and go from there. For example, if you have a feature that is slowing things down, isolate it. Or, if your database is struggling, optimize or offload what you can. Focus more on the pain points first instead of trying to perfect everything all at once.

Same goes for your team. You don’t need all the fancy tools or a complete org chart right away. Start with what you have, improve your processes as you go, and focus first on what is slowing you down. Don’t over-engineer.

Wrapping Up

Scaling a product does come with challenges, but it doesn’t have to be a total rebuild, either. In most cases, scaling means optimizing and adding improvements where needed. 

Things do get more complex as you go, but the good news is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Focusing on what actually needs fixing and keeping things simple can make a big difference. 

And, finally, remember: scaling a product is not a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process. You will keep adjusting as your product and team evolves.