Productivity is a critical factor when it comes to the software development process, which depends on developers building quality products quickly and efficiently.
When it comes to creating high-quality products in the software development space, having talented developers is only half the battle. The process also requires efficiency and high speed — and this is often difficult to achieve.
But without a productive , collaborative environment, it's extraordinarily difficult to build software quickly and ensure it's up to par at the same time. Fortunately, there are many ways for companies and teams to maintain productivity and quality simultaneously.
Why is productivity so important?
In the technology business, products tend to have a short shelf life. Companies must constantly release new software and updates to existing products in order to stay ahead of the curve and ensure they meet consumers' needs. Productivity is essential in this process – without maximizing production at a rapid rate and without ensuring that what they build is valuable, companies will certainly fall behind.
Productivity means that companies not only work efficiently to stay competitive in an ever-changing environment, but also that they are diligent in their approach and have processes in place to ensure they are not skimping on quality.
How to Make Your Software Development Productive
Determine where you are
When considering implementing real changes — in this case, making your process more productive — you must determine your baseline. Where are you now? How does your development team spend their time? Are there significant bottlenecks? Where?
To determine your starting point, work closely with your team to assess your workflow. Ask them to openly report how they use their time – knowing, of course, that they will not be penalized. This is an important fact. Perhaps you could distribute anonymous surveys to get a more complete and accurate view of your current state of productivity.
Once you establish your baseline, you can better move forward, planning to find ways to solve problems.
Set clear goals
To avoid confusion or ignorance among your team, establish and communicate clear goals when it comes to improving productivity.
Make your goals actionable and achievable. Vague goals that have no real way to be measured won't serve you – you'll have no idea if and when you achieved them, and you won't be able to use these benchmarks to further your purpose and infuse greater efficiency into your process.
Take advantage of the tools available to you
In today's digital world, existing software is available for virtually any purpose you can imagine — including increasing productivity. Consider implementing tools like time trackers, which, as they sound, monitor time spent on projects and tasks.
Project management platforms like Trello and Wrike are also available to streamline projects by giving you and your team insight into how the project is progressing. What's more, these tools will offer meaningful insights into your process, helping to inform your efforts.
Look at automation
Artificial intelligence and other innovations mean that many previously manual processes can now be automated. Instead of replacing humans in the software development process, they can handle the monotonous and repetitive components, freeing up time for humans to exercise their talents and take care of the more complex aspects.
Automation plays a key role in quality assurance (QA) testing, for example. Although professionals create test scripts and use automation in conjunction with manual testing, it makes the overall process more efficient.
Consider outsourcing
You may very well have a talented in-house team. But bringing in an external team can improve productivity by filling in the gaps in your company. They may, for example, handle aspects of the project that your full-time employees don't have time to tackle. Or they may bring missing skills to the group.
This is an ideal option if you have a small team or lack some specializations. You can turn to an outsourcing partner as needed, when you're short on time or need a little extra help.
Measure productivity
Productivity is difficult to measure because it is not a tangible entity. However, there are still certain ways to evaluate your efforts. Start with your initial definition of productivity. Over time, you will be able to see if you are achieving this goal.
Also consider the amount of time you spend on the project, accounting for the contributions of all team members towards the output – the results. But it's not just about completing a project. It is also a question of the quality of this project.
From the beginning, establish metrics for how you will measure productivity. It's not necessarily just time spent. It is also individual efforts and collaboration.
To communicate
Communication is fundamental to a productive environment. For each team member to strive toward an end goal, they must know what that goal is and be in constant contact with their colleagues. Everyone must be on the same page.
Establish communication channels from the beginning. Maybe Slack is used for more frequent casual check-ins, and Zoom is the main platform for large weekly meetings. Meanwhile, there must be a system for emergencies.
Keep everyone informed too. This, more than anything, is fundamental to keeping productivity and morale high.
Provide feedback
How does each team member know if they are being productive and giving their best effort? Your feedback as a leader plays a critical role. Feedback informs their work and helps them adjust their performance as needed. It also makes it easier to build stronger relationships, another key part of solidifying an efficient, high-performing team.
Improve systems to provide feedback, both to individuals and the larger team. Everyone should receive feedback regularly.
A more productive team and overall business means a more efficient and better performing software development process. Not only will you see faster results, but you'll also see stronger engagement and better products overall.
