Establishing a robust Developer Relations (DevRel) team is a crucial aspect of any software-oriented organization's strategic roadmap. However, deciding where to place this function within your organization's structure can be a complex decision, with potential options ranging from marketing, product teams, to a combined standalone and community team. The crux of this decision should be in alignment with your organization's primary objectives and the specific outcomes you are looking to achieve.

The scope of your DevRel function, whether it's aimed at direct revenue/customer adoption, fostering community growth, or a combination of both, plays a vital role in identifying the optimal location for your DevRel function. Below, we delve into each potential location for a DevRel team within an organization, discussing the benefits and challenges associated with each.

1. Marketing Team

For organizations seeking to drive direct revenue or customer adoption through their DevRel function, housing it within the marketing department could be a highly effective strategy. The primary advantage of this approach is that it embeds the developer-centric activities directly into the revenue generation pipeline, leveraging the marketing team's resources, reach, and proficiency in lead generation and nurturing.

Challenges:

Despite its advantages, placing your DevRel team under the marketing umbrella isn't without challenges. Most notably, there might be a significant pressure to produce short-term results, a common expectation in the marketing realm. This urgency for quick returns on investment (ROI) could create tension as building relationships in the developer community often requires a long-term, patient approach.

Moreover, the emphasis on fast conversions and commercial results might dilute the focus on community engagement, which is at the heart of DevRel. Lastly, the marketing department's language and strategies might not resonate well with the developer audience, which values authenticity, product-centric discussions, and peer-to-peer connections.

Listen to Laurent Doguin (Couchbase) talk with Matt Yonkovit (Scarf) about his thoughts on why Marketing is the best place for DevRel.  

Benefits:

Clear path to growth: Embedding DevRel in marketing can provide a clear pathway to organizational growth. The function can be leveraged to increase customer acquisition by showcasing the technical aspects and real-world applications of the product through various marketing channels.

Efficient conversion pipeline: Marketing teams often have efficient lead nurturing processes in place. By aligning DevRel with these processes, you can streamline the pathway from initial engagement to full product adoption.

Larger audience reach: Leveraging the marketing team's resources and strategies can help extend the reach of your DevRel function, exposing more developers and potential users to your software.

Higher budgets: Marketing and sales departments often command larger budgets compared to other teams. This financial advantage can enable more extensive DevRel initiatives, such as larger events, more comprehensive developer resources, and broader community engagement strategies.

Alignment with commercial outcomes: If your DevRel's goal is to drive commercial outcomes, having it under the marketing department makes strategic sense. The alignment of goals can facilitate a more coherent strategy and strengthen the impact of the DevRel function on the organization's bottom line.

2. Product Team

When your DevRel function is heavily oriented towards gathering product feedback and ensuring user success, it's logical to include it as part of the product team. In this setup, DevRel acts as the bridge between the developer community and the product development team, enhancing the product's overall success in the market.

Challenges:

On the downside, positioning DevRel within the product team could pose challenges. If the product team is solely focused on product development and not on community engagement, the DevRel function might be overshadowed or overlooked. Moreover, there could be a conflict of interests if the product team prioritizes feature development over user feedback, thereby compromising the DevRel team's ability to address community concerns effectively.

Benefits:

Alignment with product development: Housing DevRel in the product team fosters a direct line of communication between users and those developing the product. This arrangement enables real-time user feedback, which can be invaluable in refining the product and ensuring it meets the users' needs.

Enhanced user success: Being part of the product team gives DevRel the opportunity to ensure users successfully use and derive value from the product. They can influence product tutorials, documentation, and user guidance to enhance user success rates.

Effective feedback loop: DevRel's position within the product team can strengthen the feedback loop between the team and the users. The direct feedback can enhance the overall product and user experience, leading to higher user satisfaction and loyalty.

User retention: An effective DevRel function within the product team can lead to better user retention and loyalty. By understanding user needs and issues, DevRel can help to make timely improvements and maintain a user-centric product roadmap.

Commercial outcomes: Even with a focus on product feedback and user success, a product team-based DevRel function can still drive commercial benefits. The improved product, increased user satisfaction, and loyalty can ultimately lead to increased revenue and market share.

3. Standalone and Community Team

Some organizations prefer to opt for a hybrid model, combining a standalone and community team approach for their DevRel function. This method allows the DevRel function to focus on community growth and engagement while maintaining the flexibility and focus of a standalone unit.

Challenges:

This unique structure might face resource and visibility challenges compared to traditional department placements. As a standalone unit, the team might struggle for resources and recognition within the organization, unless its value and contributions are clearly defined and understood. Additionally, maintaining strong connections with both the product and marketing departments can be challenging in this model.

Benefits:

Community focus: A combined standalone and community team allows the DevRel function to prioritize community growth andengagement. They can create an environment that fosters collaboration, shared learning, and mutual support, building a strong developer ecosystem around the product.

Flexibility: As a standalone unit, the DevRel team can operate with greater flexibility, quickly adapting to new opportunities or shifting community needs. They can take initiatives and create programs that align directly with their mission without being tied to the agendas of other departments.

Independent voice: Being standalone allows the DevRel team to maintain an independent voice in the organization, ensuring the needs and feedback of the developer community are heard and considered in strategic decision-making.

Balance of interests: The combination of standalone and community team allows the DevRel function to balance commercial and community interests effectively. It can work closely with both marketing and product teams, driving revenue goals while still keeping community needs at the forefront.

Relationship Building: As part of the community, the DevRel team can effectively build long-term, sustainable relationships with developers. This strong rapport can help in building a loyal user base, encouraging user contributions, and creating evangelists for your product.

Where should DevRel Sit?

In conclusion, the ideal location for your DevRel team significantly hinges upon your organization's strategic aims. However, irrespective of where the DevRel function resides—be it within the marketing, product, or a combined standalone and community team—it is of utmost importance that the team remains closely in step with product, marketing, and community activities. This tight alignment ensures that the DevRel team can harmoniously collaborate with all pertinent departments, fostering an environment conducive to achieving organizational goals.

A well-structured DevRel function is marked by the ability to create clear boundaries, maintain flexibility, and deliver concrete outcomes, regardless of its position within the organizational structure. Indeed, the physical or hierarchical placement of the DevRel team becomes less critical when the function is well-defined, empowered, and aligned with the organization's overall vision.

In essence, a successful DevRel operation is rooted in robust collaboration and shared goals. So, rather than focusing on where your DevRel team should be positioned within the organization, the emphasis should be on cultivating an environment that encourages close-knit collaboration, effective communication, and shared objectives. The key is to enable your DevRel team to effectively build relationships, promote community growth, and contribute significantly to your organization's success, no matter where they 'reside' within the organization. Remember, in an atmosphere of unity and shared vision, boundaries blur, making the exact location of a function like DevRel less important than its effectiveness and alignment with the overarching objectives.