From overwhelmed to optimized: Why scaling your engineering teams with 99x

Let’s be honest: building and scaling engineering teams today is hard. Finding great developers isn’t the main challenge, finding people who truly belong to your vision is. People who fit your culture, help your organization move faster and keep quality high without burning out along the way.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already felt the pressure. Deadlines keep getting tighter, technologies evolve faster than your hiring process, project backlogs and firefighting are endless. Almost every CTO, Head of Engineering, and Product Owner we interact with faces the same dilemma: How to scale without losing control? How to evolve capacity without increasing complexity? The answer is in the next lines. 😉

 

Scaling your engineering teams isn’t just related to headcount

When companies talk about scaling, they often think of numbers: more developers, more projects, more output. But growth without alignment can actually slow you down. Teams grow fast, but silos emerge, quality drops, and communication becomes a bottleneck.

True scaling extends your capabilities intelligently, sustainably, and in a way that strengthens your existing potential. At 99x, instead of simply “adding engineers” to your team, we co-create with you.

Our engineers, designers, QAs, data specialists, AI experts and architects work as an extension of your team, fully involved with your ambitions, processes, and values. The result is a seamless collaboration where innovation flows naturally as if everyone sat in the same room.

 

From outsourcing to co-creation: a new mindset for engineering teams

The traditional outsourcing model doesn’t fit the realities of modern software development. It was built for cost reduction, not innovation. The landscape has changed and so have expectations.

Companies no longer look for a supplier to deliver features. They look for a partner who understands the business, contributes ideas, and helps make better product decisions.

That’s the mindset behind how we scale engineering teams. We call it partnership-driven scaling, where trust, communication, and shared accountability replace rigid contracts and siloed delivery models.

In practice, this means our people don’t sit “somewhere else” waiting for tickets. They’re part of your stand-ups, planning sessions, retrospectives, and product discussions. They challenge assumptions, they suggest improvements, and they care about outcomes, rather than just output.

 

The three biggest challenges we help engineering leaders solve

After partnering with numerous European companies, we’ve learned that the obstacles to scaling engineering teams tend to revolve around three key areas:

1. Talent scarcity

Europe’s digital talent gap isn’t closing anytime soon. According to IDC, by 2026, the global IT skills shortage could cost businesses $5.5 trillion in delays, quality issues, and missed opportunities. Our model bridges that gap by giving you access to experienced professionals who can integrate immediately without compromising cultural alignment or technical excellence.

2. Speed and flexibility

Markets move fast, and your ability to adapt determines your success. We help you scale engineering capacity up or down as needed, aligning with project requirements and budget realities while maintaining the same level of quality and consistency. This flexibility means you can innovate faster, experiment more, and stay focused on core priorities without the pains of traditional hiring cycles.

3. Collaboration and ownership

Scaling often fails not because of skill gaps, but because of communication breakdowns. We invest heavily in collaboration frameworks, onboarding rituals, and shared tools that ensure our teams feel like your teams. Besides the technical stack, every engineer is briefed on your mission, culture, and goals. That’s what turns delivery into co-creation.

 

How we scale engineering teams: the 99x way

Here’s how our approach turns complexity into clarity and growth into momentum.

Step 1: Understanding your vision - Every partnership starts with listening.  We go beyond job descriptions to understand your architecture, roadmap, and team dynamics. What challenges are slowing you down? What does success look like in terms of impact? The discovery phase helps us design a team structure tailored to your demands, not a one-size-fits-all setup.

Step 2: Building your extended team - Once we understand your needs, we assemble a dedicated team of experts (developers, QAs, DevOps engineers, data specialists, AI experts, architects) aligned with your technologies and culture. They work exclusively with you, embedded into your workflows, communication tools, and delivery rhythms.

Step 3: Empowering with the right technology - Our teams master technologies that power modern engineering, including .NET, Java, Python, React, Kubernetes, Terraform, Azure, AWS, as well as OutSystems, Mendix and Power Platform for low-code acceleration (to name a few examples). This blend of expertise allows us to tackle complex projects, from enterprise-grade systems to AI and data-driven platforms, efficiently and securely.

Step 4: Continuous improvement - We don’t “set it and forget it.” We continuously optimize processes, share retrospectives, and fine-tune collaboration to keep teams performing at their best. Scaling is a living, evolving process that expands with your business.

 

Why clients choose 99x

Our clients often tell us they choose us due to the combination of technical skills and mindset. We show up as curious, engaged, and committed partners. What makes the difference?

• Cultural alignment - We share your work ethic, values, and communication style. That makes collaboration natural and frictionless.
• Engineering excellence - Our teams bring deep technical expertise, industry knowledge and a product mindset, ensuring every line of code adds real value.
• Scalable models - Start small and grow fast. We adapt to your pace with dedicated teams, T&M and fixed scope projects.
• Trust and transparency - Open communication and full visibility are part of how we leverage lasting relationships.

 

As the boundaries between engineering, AI, and automation continue to blur, success will depend on how well you scale your infrastructure and people. Teams that embrace collaboration, flexibility, and shared ownership will lead the next wave of digital transformation.

Count on us to make that happen with talents who think, create, and deliver alongside you.