Adding Engineers Does Not Fix Friction

When a team is shipping slowly, the default response is often hiring. That makes sense only if the system can absorb more change.

In a constrained system, more engineers create more coordination, more review load, more parallel work in fragile areas, and more time spent waiting on the same decisions.

The problem is usually a decision queue or interface tax, not a lack of effort.

Remove the friction first. Then additional capacity has somewhere useful to go.