Software developers are not the only members of the software development lifecycle. Project managers, business analysts and others also play a key role.
When you think about software development, you probably focus on the developers themselves – those who are actually building the product. But the team that builds these products is not limited to these core professionals. A complete team includes several other roles , all of which are essential for solid results and products.
What are these roles? Here are some of the most important members of a software development team.
Business Analyst
The business analyst enters the process very early, before the software developers even start working. They are tasked with facilitating communication and building a relationship with the client, the client who needs the software project.
This position plays a critical role in bridging the gap between customer needs and the realities and abilities of a software development team to meet those needs. The business analyst works with both parties to gather requirements and specifications.
They will work with all team members, from engineers to sales representatives, to help the client achieve their business objectives in every aspect. They will also carry out market research and define the target audience for the product, conquering the market niche.
Product owner
The Product Owner (PO) works closely with the business analyst, but takes full ownership of the product, as the name implies. Playing a critical role in the dedicated team , they outline ideal outcomes for software developers and other players. They have a deep understanding of the need for the project and how it fits into the bigger picture of the organization.
While the business analyst communicates with customers, the PO works with all critical stakeholders, including the organization's higher-ups and those who create the product itself. Another important difference is that their focus is limited to the specific project, while the business analyst role has a more high-level scope.
The PO is an important role in a team that uses agile methodologies, in which collaboration is essential.
Project Manager
Project managers are essential to several fields. They coordinate all the moving parts of a project and essentially oversee the entire process from start to finish, keeping everyone involved on the task. Just a few of your many responsibilities include budgeting, setting schedules, coordinating schedules, managing risks, and handling and collecting results.
Just like other team members, the project manager's ultimate goal is to ensure that they meet the client's requirements and specifications. Organization is fundamental to the role, as is superior communication.
UX or UI Designer
This is where creativity comes in. User experience (UX) designer is tasked with building an experience that appeals to end users. This covers all aspects of usability and performance such as visual appeal, sounds, navigation flow, animation, and more.
UX design is often confused with user interface (UI) design. This is for good reason – the two concepts overlap. In fact, UI design is part of overall UX design, but the reverse is not true – UX design is not in the UI category.
One important difference is that UI refers strictly to digital products and the interface itself. Furthermore, while UX encompasses all aspects of the user experience, UI focuses exclusively on the appearance of the product, the interactions between the user and the product, and the functionality of the visual design.
At smaller companies, you'll often see these two roles condensed into a single job. But sometimes they are separated, with both professionals on the same team.
Software developer
You probably know the main role of the software developer – they build the products themselves. However, responsibilities and niches are a little more subtle than that.
For example, there is the front-end developer, who works on the customer-facing and future-facing aspects of the product. In their role, they must be aware of the usability of the product as much as the intricacies of the design. Meanwhile, back-end developers deal with the data layers that are the foundation of the product – the aspects of the software that users can't actually see and interact with, but that are the foundation of the product itself.
A full-stack developer does not specifically focus on the front-end or back-end of the software and is instead responsible for various aspects of the product. And these are just some of the global development functions. Others may specialize in specific niches, such as mobile, web, blockchain, or AI development.
Quality control specialist
Is your product of the highest quality possible? The Quality Assurance (QA) Specialists, including QA engineers, analysts and testers, are there to ensure that it does.
Your responsibilities are not limited to simply spotting bugs and asking the development team to fix them, although that is certainly part of it. Through manual and automated processes and tools, they evaluate several different aspects of the product, including its performance, its functionality, its usability, the loads it can tolerate and much more.
This is an important part of the SDLC that should never be ignored. It can mean the difference between the success and failure of a product on the market. QA specialists should be the ones to detect any problems before users do.
Individual software development teams may have other roles, but they are often the foundation for creating solid, high-quality software. Whether you are considering outsourcing your product development to an external team or you want to build an in-house team, make sure you understand the critical responsibilities involved in the process.
Source: BairesDev
