Identify the needs of your project first to make a good software development team. An effective team would be the one that communicates easily and has a clear work style.
In the field of development or any other company, a good team isn’t just made up on its own. A few good professionals don’t necessarily make a good team. While it may work sometimes, you cannot make an effective team if you lock some employees in a room and give them a deadline. Professionalism is important, but interaction is much more crucial among team members.
Only a well-connected team that has a clear communication channel will be able to handle the workload quickly and will also be more productive. Statistics show that confidence is also a driving factor in a team’s success. About 75% of the respondents in a survey lacked confidence in the success of their project and admitted that their project would fail from the start. This usually happens because the team members are not fully aware of their responsibilities, roles and the processes. The development companies need to convince them that they can do it. An example of one such reputable custom software development company is fortyseven. Fortyseven software professionals are a group of close-knit skilled experts that will handle your projects with utmost care and professionalism.
So if you want to turn a group of professionals into an effective team, then you need to consider the following:
A team befitting the project
This is the first and foremost thing that you need to decide. Think about what kind of team you need for a specific project. Successful software development companies would have dedicated teams as a service for every competency. It is important for the overall success of your team. The following are the types of team structures that you can choose from:
Generalists
A team of generalists has a lot of knowledge and expertise. They can provide a full solution to whatever problem may arise. However, generalists may find themselves at a loss if they are required to see a problem that requires high expertise.
Specialists
As you can guess from the name itself, the members of such teams have expertise in a specific field. They can face a problem head-on and present a more effective and efficient solution. But when it comes to communication, such teams lose here. Most of the time specialists don’t understand the roles and responsibilities of team members. That is why communication among them can be ineffective.
Hybrid
A hybrid team is a combination of the above two teams. In such a team, a specialist can concentrate on the functional parts of the project and the generalist will keep the communication going. They use agile methodologies in the software development. However, establishment of this type of team requires time and financial resources.
A good custom software development firm will always seek a balance of specialists and generalists in the team they form for handling a project.
Team size
Now that you have decided the structure of the team, you can think about the number of members that will be in that team. There is no specific number when it comes to the size of a good team. Small teams are easy to manage for obvious reasons. However, keep this in mind that every member in a software development team has a specific role to play and losing that member may affect the overall outcome. Management of communication is hard with bigger teams. A software development company needs to keep the following factors in consideration while assembling a team:
- Availability of the resources
- Deadline
- Budget
- Type and complexity of the project
Specify goals and roles
A team responsible for developing a software whether its custom made or otherwise usually consists of the following members:
Owner
In case of outsourced project the business owner hires services of custom software development companies. They help with the product development and testing but the real owner of the product is always the client.
Project manager
The responsibility of the project manager is to lead the team. He/she optimizes and facilitates the team’s work and makes sure that it meets the criteria set by the client.
Software architect
The custom software developer would be responsible for examining every aspect of the project and making decisions related to its design and technicalities.
Developer
They bring their knowledge of engineering and programming to use whenever required in the project.
Designers
Their duty is to ensure that the product will be acceptable and well-liked by the end-users.
Testers
They conduct quality assurance tests of the product before it is launched.
Business analyst
They search for ways that will improve the experience of the user further. They hold meetings with the stakeholders and understand their requirements and problems. They record every detail and try to find a solution for it.
Prioritize communication
Communication keeps the team connected and updated. You can gather a team of high professionals but it will not be an effective team if there is no proper communication. Good communication skills are important for every working person and more so for a software developer. If the team members can properly communicate the issues and requirements of the project, it will improve the overall work process. This will also give rise to innovation and creativity. Additionally, incorporating technology team building activities can further enhance communication, collaboration, and camaraderie among team members, fostering a more cohesive and productive work environment.
Evaluation
To see how effective the team you formed is, you need to evaluate it. The evaluation should focus on team process and results. The results may consist of product quality, delivery time and use of resources. Evaluating the team process may include observing how the team members solve conflicts, use the budget, exchange information, schedule and other things. A simple way to evaluate your software development team is through team discussions and project debriefings.
Conclusion
To put it in simple words, the success of your software development team depends upon how you structure it. A hybrid team that is both versatile and skilled would be a good choice. Keeping the scale of your project into consideration, determine the size of the team. Identify the roles and responsibilities of everyone in the team. Always encourage communication as that is the foundation of an effective team.
To know more about the author, Hanna Shnaider, click here.
