Is the role of the software developer changing?

The world is changing – that’s obvious. As a result, many people's jobs, even those firmly established for years or decades, are also evolving. The technology industry is a field that must constantly be on the brink of innovation, so it's no surprise that this is an area where all professionals, especially software developers , are facing transformation.

New responsibilities, overlapping roles with other professionals, and different priorities are some of the ways software developers are seeing their roles change. Curious to know what the role is like today – and what’s different about it? Read.

Team members have overlapping roles

The last decade has seen a mass exodus from the waterfall method – once the predominant software development methodology – to the agile method. Agile focuses on collaboration and customer prioritization. There are many advantages to this philosophy, and one of the main ones is that Quality Assurance is fundamental to the development process.

In Agile , everyone is responsible for quality, not just testers and QA specialists. It is rooted in the process. Software developers must also have a quality control-first mindset and are tasked with ensuring they are delivering a high-quality product from the beginning of the software development life cycle (SDLC). This means they are focused on different goals and must employ new strategies with that in mind.

Agile also involves providing feedback routinely and consistently. Software developers now rely on receiving and providing this feedback regularly, working closely with other team members, including QA specialists, who have overlapping roles with their fellow developers.

Open source has an important place

We now live in an open source culture, where anyone can use and contribute to countless software projects. This is significant not only because it means technology and tools are more easily accessible to both developers and consumers, but also because it helps the developer in their efforts. With free software comes a changing role for developers, one that allows them to learn, experiment and grow.

Software developers are aided in their efforts to build higher quality software thanks to open source tools. They are also able to interact with other developers in the community and grow their network, which contributes to their knowledge and equips them with new skills and resources.

Training is most important

Now that software developers are taking on more — and different — responsibilities, there is a greater need for intensive training to prepare them for tasks that go beyond simple coding. But this too is taking new forms. Gone are the days when all developers were required to have a bachelor's degree in computer science. While this may still be a requirement for some positions, many employers are considering alternative training and preparation methods.

For example, coding bootcamps are becoming increasingly popular, primarily because they equip students with development skills in a fraction of the time that degree programs do, thus boasting high employment rates upon completion.

At the same time, development is no longer restricted to developers

Specialized skills are important, of course, but these days there are simpler paths to development. The introduction of low-code and no-code platforms, which allow laypeople to create apps and other digital products with minimal or no development skills or training, have made the world of development accessible to virtually anyone.

This doesn't mean there won't be a need for skilled developers. It simply means that developers have more options available and will increasingly take on more complex projects, while those without development training can create more basic applications and products on their own.

Developers are responsible

Business leaders are accustomed to being accountable to stakeholders, consumers and the public. But today, this responsibility extends to other key players within the organization, including those who build the products – the software developers.

These professionals must get used to their own roles as leaders. They are the ones who must gather and research requirements, keep stakeholders informed, and translate their efforts into understandable language. Additionally, they must create plans with the goals, mission, and values ​​of the company as a whole in mind. In other words, software developers also have a responsibility.

Software developers are also increasingly embracing the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the idea that they should rely on ethical and socially conscious practices when building their products. This means that your responsibility also extends to the greater public and social good.

Automation is a critical part of the job

Automation has impacted multiple industries, from human resources to marketing and legal services. Increasingly, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are tackling processes that previously needed to be handled manually. This is thanks to software developers, who are developing new solutions to take care of these important procedures. It's also helping the developers themselves do their work faster and more efficiently.

Automation is playing a key role in simplifying the development process and related procedures in the SDLC such as testing. Today, much of QA work is accomplished through automation, with QA professionals creating test scripts before running them without human intervention.

Although automation is replacing some of the more repeatable routine processes, human technology professionals are still essential to software development and must complete more complex processes. Still, they will need to acquire more specialized skills, both to carve out a niche in the industry and to become indispensable.

Clearly, the role of the software developer has changed dramatically in recent years and will continue to evolve as the world changes. Given that these professionals play a fundamental role in advancing society, it is no surprise that new responsibilities and expectations are normal.