CTO Series: Toni Sallanmaa on Scaling Engineering Teams and Aligning Tech with Business Goals

In this BONUS episode, we explore the journey of scaling technology teams and maintaining alignment between engineering and business objectives with Toni Sallanmaa, CTO at Funidata. Toni shares invaluable insights from leading the development of Sisu, a cutting-edge student information system serving over 100,000 Finnish university users, and discusses practical strategies for growing engineering organizations while preserving company culture.

The Genesis of Leadership in Technology

"I understood what I was really responsible for. I'm interested in the business we are running—the business adds meaning to the work."

Toni's approach to technology leadership was fundamentally shaped by a pivotal moment early in his career when he first gained influence over system development and technology choices. After working with large-scale systems for 20 years, this moment of responsibility revelation transformed his perspective from purely technical to business-focused. He emphasizes that infinite curiosity drives success in tech businesses, and understanding the business context gives meaningful purpose to technical work.

Bridging the Gap Between Tech and Product

"Don't separate Tech from Product. We established a common language between product and technology people."

One of Toni's most significant insights centers on eliminating the traditional divide between technology and product teams. As Funidata grew from a small startup to a 70-person organization, the challenges of maintaining alignment became apparent. Their solution involved several key practices:

• Teaching developers the language of the product domain 

• Banning confusing technical terms that create communication barriers
  Workshopping product language to ensure clarity

• Keeping entity names deliberately vague until true understanding emerges

This approach draws heavily from Domain Driven Design principles, creating a unified vocabulary that enables seamless collaboration.

Collaborative Planning and Transparency

"We use transparency as a collaboration technique. Every team sees what's being proposed as a goal for the next quarter."

Funidata implements a unique "marketplace of goals" approach during their quarterly big room planning sessions. Rather than using scaled agile frameworks, they focus on transparency and collaborative goal-setting. Teams present their high-level quarterly plans to each other, creating visibility across the organization. Product owners are embedded within teams, keeping communication distances short and ensuring alignment between technical execution and business objectives.

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