How to create a blockchain team

How does one go about making a great blockchain team? What is the skillset to look for? What makes a bad team?

Let’s take an example of a blockchain system to understand its components. Once we understand the individual components, we will have insights on whom to hire in order to build great blockchain solutions. If we consider the first blockchain consensus algorithm, Proof of Work, the system is made up of ideas from cryptography, game theory and computer networks.

Cryptography helps us secure our blockchain system from unauthorized access. Depending on the level of security required in your application, you need a developer who understands encryption at a deeper level. This is important because using the wrong encryption can put your blockchain at risk. However, if you are using blockchain frameworks, you don’t need an expert but someone who understands the fundamentals of encryption will be good enough.

Game theory helps in incentivizing people to behave in a desired manner. In Proof of Work systems, game theory is used to reward miners who dedicate their computers for the system to function. It contributes to engineering moral behavior among the actors. With blockchain solutions, there could be actors who will try to game the system. Understanding human behavior and engineering it through a system is a critical skill required to make great blockchain solutions.

Peer-to-Peer computer networks help computers in a network communicate, share data and reach a consensus. On blockchain systems which need to work at scale, engineers who understand computer networks are indispensable. We also need a system architect who can fit these pieces together according to the requirements of a given problem or requirement.

Hence we need the following people:Crypto DeveloperUser ResearcherNetwork EngineerSystem Architect

The end users of a blockchain are mostly non-technical users. We need to make sure they have an interface they can easily use. This is critical because the data written on a blockchain is irreversible. Hence, we need a great User Experience Designer to give non-technical users a seamless experience.

5. User Experience Designer

These don’t have to be separate people, one person can play multiple roles. A system architect and network engineer could be the same person. The role of a user experience designer and user researcher can be played by one person.

RolesCrypto Developer

A crypto developer will decide what level of security is required for a given solution. There’s a trade-off between the level of security required and network speed. As such, a platform can provide great security, but be slow and consume a lot of resources.

Based on the client’s requirements, the crypto developer will choose an appropriate mechanism required to ensure security. They will also foresee threats from advanced technology like quantum computers and update the system’s security.

User Researcher

A user researcher will understand the client’s requirements or the given problem statement. They define the actors of a system and their behavior. In Proof of Work systems, we have miners and users. If we consider an automobile supply chain, we have manufacturers, distributors, retailers, customers, etc.

The user researcher must understand what these people contribute to the system. They should also design a plan to make the system foolproof from the selfish behavior of its actors.

Network Engineer

A network engineer is responsible for making the peer-to-peer network work at scale. They make sure data is communicated efficiently to the intended recipient only.

System Architect

The system architect will incorporate insights from the user researcher, crypto developer, network engineer and user experience designer. They will be responsible for the integrity and scalability of the system.

User Experience Designer

A user experience engineer will design the application in such a way that it’s seamless for a non-technical user. He will have to test the application with users several times and incorporate their feedback to build a great solution.

Summarising team members and their roles:A crypto developer who ensures security in the system.A user researcher who understands client’s requirements and the actors of a system.A network engineer who designs the blockchain network for robustness and scalability.A system architect who incorporates insights from the above people to design a robust system.A user experience designer who make the experience seamless for end users.

The number of people required for each role can vary as per the requirement of the project. There can be multiple crypto developers, network engineers, etc. Since these people come from diverse backgrounds, they are likely to have complementary skills and they would make a great team.

A team with only a bunch of developers is a bad idea.

Conclusion

The blockchain is a system that ensures transparency and integrity. It borrows ideas from different fields such a cryptography, game theory and computer networks.Complicated systems can be difficult for end users, hence a user experience researcher who can make things seamless for an end user is indispensable.The team members can play multiple roles and there need not be a separate person for each role. Teams with diverse background and complementary skills set are likely to make a great team.

Author
Febin John James is one of the top writers in Innovation and Technology on Medium. He writes for publications like Hackernoon, FreeCodeCamp, etc.

Blockchain Business Review from Apla provides high-quality educational material from the world of blockchain to inform the business community of the competitive advantage that can be gained by integrating distributed ledger data storage within organizations. Our mission is to promote knowledge about blockchain and its uses in both the private and public sector and demonstrate the value of blockchain integration.

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