In this article, we reflect on a standout chapter from The Value Flywheel Effect that highlights the story of Workgrid, a startup that exemplified serverless-first thinking before it became the norm. Co-founded and led in 2017 by Gillian McCann, Workgrid aimed to reimagine the employee digital experience by removing friction from daily work tasks using intelligent automation and integration across enterprise systems.
The Challenge of Building a Startup
Workgrid was a classic startup story: a small team, limited time, and an urgent need to deliver value. With just four engineers at the outset, including Gillian, the team needed to move fast, iterate effectively, and make the right architectural bets. Instead of enforcing a predetermined direction, Gillian empowered the team to explore and experiment. This led to a pivotal compute experiment: one approach based on traditional infrastructure, and the other using serverless.
The serverless approach proved superior early on, not just in cost but in velocity and focus. This decision to go serverless-first laid the foundation for a platform that could grow rapidly, stay cost-efficient, and focus on delivering business value rather than managing infrastructure.
Architectural Philosophy Ahead of Its Time
The principles guiding Workgrid’s architecture were ahead of their time and remain highly relevant:
- Serverless First: Adopt managed compute wherever possible.
- Managed Services Over Managed Infrastructure: Use capabilities as building blocks rather than focusing on underlying infrastructure.
- Pragmatic Architecture: Build for today with awareness that systems will evolve.
- Evolving Architectures: Be willing to replace and improve systems as needs and technologies change.
- Cost Awareness: Keep an eye on both the technical cost (cloud bills) and organisational cost (runway, engineering focus).
- Security and Operations as Everyone’s Job: Embed responsibility across the team.
- Modular Design: Adopt a Lego-like architecture for easier swaps and evolution.
- Industry Awareness: Stay aligned with emerging patterns, standards, and community feedback.
These principles were not theoretical. Workgrid had to meet enterprise-grade security and compliance requirements, navigate multi-tenant SaaS complexities, and scale a team of engineers who could operate across the full stack.
Creating an Environment for Success
Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of Workgrid’s story is how it created a high-trust, low-friction engineering environment. Engineers were hired not based on specific technologies but on growth mindset and capability. The focus was on enabling learning, fast feedback loops, and autonomy—all within a culture that encouraged experimentation and debate.
Gillian’s mantra was clear: “I never said serverless was easier. I said it was better.” The serverless model introduced constraints, but they were the right kind of constraints—ones that encouraged focus, simplicity, and responsibility.
Recognition and Lasting Impact
The tech community took notice. In 2020, during AWS’s Serverless-First Function event, Workgrid was the only customer invited to speak. Werner Vogels himself highlighted their story as an inspiration. That kind of recognition underscores the value of being early, bold, and principled.
Final Thoughts
Workgrid’s journey offers a blueprint for building modern cloud-native systems under real-world conditions. It shows what’s possible when serverless is more than a technology choice—when it becomes a mindset. The principles that guided their architecture remain vital for startups and enterprises alike.
In a world still catching up to serverless-first thinking, Workgrid proves that with the right foundation, you can go further, faster, and better.
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