What the Wedge Is—and Why You Need It

Developers are great, aren’t they? They’re changemakers. They optimize our legacy systems and get them talking, while also elevating our overall architecture in ways that wouldn’t have been possible just a few short years ago. But, for all that talent, when we outsource developers, all we get is…developers. Who’s going to provide the management, the quality assurance, the architect personnel? Outsourcing development is supposed to simplify things, not complicate them.

Developers Shouldn’t Have to Fly Solo

Here’s an interesting fact about Swan’s namesake: when swans migrate, they fly in a wedge formation. As it turns out, they do this in part because it increases their efficiency over long flights. Each swan literally creates an upwash of air with its wings that in turn lifts the bird behind it—the reason military jets adopt this same formation. Even more fascinating, swans have a natural ability to sync this behavior, adjusting their own flight variations to those of the bird in front of them. They’re experts at flight, and it shows in the intuitive way they compensate for the changes the sky throws at them.

Whether in business or in flight, there’s a big difference between knowing you want to head toward a specific goal and leveraging your resources to actually get there. So in order to create a streamlined development experience, we took a cue from real swans and created the Wedge team. Helmed by our Engagement Manager, our wedge’s other members include a Project Manager, a Quality Assurance Manager, and a Software Architect.

When the Wedge Joins the Team

When a client hires two or more Swan developers, the Swan Wedge comes with them. In the same way that actual swans compensate for obstacles as a group, the Swan Wedge acts as an oversight and management team, optimizing everyone’s flow over the long haul. The Engagement Manager works directly with the client to make sure that the project and development glides along smoothly. The Wedge team makes sure that the development project gets done per the specs, on time, and to the highest degree of quality.

The Swan Wedge is there to ensure that when you hire developers, you don’t find your organization taking on a variety of extra management roles. Instead, the Wedge oversees development and shares a bird’s-eye view with you, so you can feel confident about the journey as it unfolds. We’ve got a great team, one that integrates beautifully with the scrum model to ensure our adjustments are just as flawless as they would be in a wedge of migrating swans. We think you’ll find the results…uplifting.