How to Build a Successful Software Development Team

Companies across many industries and all sizes need software development services. This could be for internal enterprise software programs, such as proprietary customer management or inventory applications. Business applications may be sold to other companies. Or it could be for apps or games to be sold to consumers. No matter the end product, all organizations that create software must build or hire competent software development teams.

In fact, building a successful software development team can be one of the most important actions your company can take, as their work can contribute greatly to the company's success or failure. An effective team can help you run your business more efficiently, generate revenue and contribute to a positive reputation, while an ineffective team can have the opposite impact.

In the following sections we will discuss the roles and responsibilities of individuals on these teams, team member characteristics to watch out for, possible team structures and development models, and specific steps to take. But first, let's take a closer look at what exactly a software development team is.

What is a software development team?

A software development team is a group of professionals who develop software. Development can be for a variety of software types, including business applications, consumer applications, smartphone applications, or games. Together, these teams follow the software development life cycle (SDLC), which includes the following steps.

• Initial contact. This meeting typically takes place between the project manager and the client to get a basic understanding of what the client needs.
• Discovery. Another meeting or meetings may be held to gather more specific information about the project needs.
• Product design. Based on the information collected in the previous steps, product designers prepare the interface based on prototypes.
• Development and quality assurance (QA). Ideally, these two steps happen simultaneously, with QA professionals periodically ensuring standards are met and engineers writing the code and fixing any issues found along the way.
• To throw. The product is launched within a company as a proprietary application or on the market accompanied by promotion and sales.
• Maintenance and support. The product is maintained and updated with new features. The product team provides support for customers who use it.

Forming a good software development team is not always easy. The characteristics of a good team include close collaboration, skill, self-management, dedication to achieving shared goals, confidence that those goals can be achieved, cross-functional responsibility, efficiency, effective communication, and trust.

Roles and responsibilities

For the success of the software development team, defining roles and responsibilities is essential. It's also critical to know which roles are essential from the start and which can be added as the team grows. The following list describes common software development team roles in order of how essential they are, with the most essential listed first.

• Engineers. This role is listed first because you cannot have a software development team without software developers or engineers. These professionals are at the heart of software development, creating the code that is the foundation of each product. They work closely with other team members, including designers and product testers, and may even serve double duty in these roles.
• Technical leader. Next on the list is the technical leader, who organizes and supervises the engineers. This person not only understands the needs of the project, but also has technical know-how and can help resolve issues that arise, whether on the development or client side.
• User interface (UI)/user experience (UX) designer. UI and UX designers are another critical component to a software development team. These professionals work with engineers to ensure products are easy for end users to learn and use. A product may be technically excellent – ​​but if it is difficult to use, customers will associate it with frustration, implement inadequate workarounds or, worst of all, avoid it altogether.
• Quality assurance (QA) specialist/product tester. QA specialists and product testers are also essential, as they thoroughly and rigorously test software products to ensure they meet quality and functionality standards. This is another area that can cause customer defection if not done correctly.
• Project Manager. Project managers work to ensure that software development teams meet deadlines and stay within budget. To do this, they can schedule, host, and document meetings, secure necessary team resources, and monitor team performance.
• Scrum Master. The role of the scrum master is to implement Agile principles and ensure compliance by the team. They also ensure that the customer does not interrupt sprints with unexpected changes, such as new features. In some teams, the project manager may perform this role.
• Business manager. The business manager ensures that software development goals meet the company's long-term needs. Specific tasks include initiating projects, providing project vision and strategic planning, and approving milestones. Although not critical, this role is important to ensure that software development projects are aligned with the company's overall vision.
• Product manager. A product manager is responsible for the success of a specific product. Each manager can oversee multiple products. Key responsibilities include using the business manager's vision as a starting point for creating a product roadmap. The product manager also helps identify product features. Depending on the company's needs and the skills of the business team members, the business manager may assume this role.
• Business analyst. Business analysts work closely with software development teams to ensure that the project's business needs are met. They can use data to generate reports on development progress or to find areas where processes could be improved. They can also help define product features and resolve issues between technical and product teams.
• Chief architect. Larger companies may require someone to coordinate the workflow between teams, and this is the role of the chief architect. This role only needs to be filled if your development operations are too complex to function effectively without it.

Critical Features

To ensure that a software development team delivers what you need, it is important that each team member is of the highest caliber in terms of skills and attitude. Here are some specific features to look out for.

• Able to think critically. Software development projects don't always go as planned. When challenges arise, you want people who are capable of implementing innovative solutions.
• Ambitious. Team members should always strive to do more. It could mean seeking a higher position or simply learning and developing your skills.
• Eager to learn. Obstinate workers who are resistant to adopting new methods are not good collaborators. So look for those who are eager to learn.
• Empathetic. A high emotional quotient (EQ), which determines how well a person can identify their own emotions and those of others, is essential in today's business world because it allows you to work well with others, including leaders, co-workers and customers.
• With experience. Engineers and other professionals on the team must have adequate training and experience for the work for which they were hired.
• Flexible. Everyone should be able to expect a certain level of consistency in their work. But team members must be flexible enough to handle unexpected changes in workflow or schedule.
• Innovative. Software development is not always a simple task. Team members who can bring creativity to the process help bring uniqueness to each product.
• Motivated. While everyone needs validation and praise, look for and hire people who are also invested in the team's accomplishments.
• Passionate. People who enjoy what they do are more likely to do it well.
• Proactive. Workers must feel comfortable carrying out a task or making a suggestion, even if it is something they have not been specifically assigned to do.
• Responsible. Team members must take responsibility for their tasks and for their mistakes.
• Stress resistance. People who have methods for managing their own stress can be valuable team members. Both remain calm in difficult situations and serve as an example for others who wish to do the same.

In addition to the characteristics of individuals, the characteristics of the team as a whole are also important. They include the following:

• Diversity. A diverse team in terms of education, socioeconomic background, race, sex, gender, physical ability, and many other factors is a team that will provide the variety of perspectives needed to successfully develop software and solve problems effectively.
• Invested in quality. Teams that agree on quality standards will ensure that each product is the best possible, bringing customer satisfaction and success to the company.
• Trust. Teams whose members trust each other will collaborate more efficiently and therefore perform more effectively.

Team Structures

The traditional structure for a successful software development team is an internal group that works together in the same location. However – as proven during the pandemic – remote work arrangements offer many benefits, including access to global talent, increased productivity, reduced costs, decreased worker stress, increased worker satisfaction and reduced employee turnover. Remote workers are still direct employees and you should still have certain expectations of them, such as work hours and productivity level.

Independent contractors can be added to teams when you have more work than the main team can handle or when you need specific skills that your team does not have. Independent contractors can work on-site or remotely. The benefits of this arrangement include flexibility to easily increase or decrease the size of your team, the potential to access external skills, and the chance to work with people you want to hire.

Development Models

Successful software development teams typically work with a specific methodology, which allows them to meet deadlines, stay within budget, and build high-quality products. Here are some of the benefits of some of the most popular approaches.

• Agile works well for projects that require continuous product updates or for projects that are not fully defined up front.
• Scrum, like Agile, is useful for projects that require a high level of creativity or when many elements of the project are unknown.
• Waterfall is best for teams with extensive documentation needs or for projects where parameters (such as goals and requirements) are unlikely to change.
• Kanban works well for projects that have many moving parts or when you manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Lean is better when you need to complete a project as quickly and efficiently as possible.
• Hybrid is an approach that combines others. It is best when no other methodology seems suitable for the project.

Steps to follow

Ready to build a successful software development team? Here are the steps you will need to follow.

Hiring

1. Identify the goals and objectives of the project, including details about the product itself. In job offers, I appeal to candidates who are interested in helping to get to know them. Invite candidates to submit a description of their experience with this type of work.
2. Structure your team based on project needs. For example, some projects may need a greater focus on development, while others may need a greater focus on promotion or product administration. Identify these needs before determining which functions are required.
3. In the hiring process, evaluate technical and social skills. Make sure each new employee has the knowledge to perform the necessary tasks and the personality to contribute to the overall project goals.
4. Choose team leaders who motivate team members and enable them to do their best work.
5. Whether you hire an in-house team or look for an outsourced solution, quality labor doesn't come cheap. Be prepared to pay well to team members who will contribute the necessary skills and knowledge to your projects.

Support

1. Provide necessary programs for engineering tasks, communication tools and applications – such as timers that alert workers when to take a break from the session – to maintain health.
2. Provide a good work environment by including items that support health, such as ergonomic workstations, reasonable deadlines, bottled water, and nutritious snacks.
3. Establish effective communication practices and communicate them to all team members. Leaders must set an example of active listening and proactive sharing of information.
4. Even the best leaders can't solve every problem, so empower team members to make decisions on their own. Then back them up even when those decisions don't lead to the best results.
5. Promote mentoring, which can help both mentors and mentees. Mentors benefit when they coach mentees because they refine what they know and practice leadership skills. Mentees benefit from having someone more experienced to guide them through the technical and professional aspects of their work.

Assessing

1. Communicate and assess expectations so everyone knows what they will be evaluated on and what constitutes the best possible outcome.
2. Hold teams accountable. Assessment should include actions such as determining what success means, holding regular team discussions, benchmarking, evaluating results and debriefing after each project.
3. Don't let successes go unnoticed. When a team reaches a milestone, performs a task especially well, or goes above and beyond to meet a tight deadline, write down these achievements in a public forum, host an event, or give each team member a gift card.
4. Use successes to drive new achievements. Teams that have accomplished something together will be even more motivated to match or surpass their own progress.
5. Also evaluate individual team members and look for opportunities to give more responsibility to those who are doing the best work.

In short

Creating a winning software development team is harder than it seems. But companies that take into consideration the many factors mentioned here should end up with a team that works together effectively, performs well, and develops products that propel the business toward success.