I make appalams in microwave too and have the same uneven cooking problem - putting them vertically seems to help. Here is a commercial product that says so too. https://www.papadumexpress.com
"We don't have exceptional programmers and hence we may be fucked" sounds like an excuse to me. A successful manager or leader is supposed to make an average team do great things. If a manager starts moaning for lack of great talent, I would suspect he is looking for excuses. Perhaps some introspection is needed.