The Key Elements of a Software Development Team

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Every successful software product has an expert software development team behind it working hard to bring it to its best version.

In order to succeed, a software development project requires more than just developers. The quality of the professionals and the configuration of a diverse team are critical to the success of a software project.

Here at Idyllic we take this very seriously, and these are just a few of the elements we keep in mind when building a software development team to handle all of your software needs.

The Importance of Having The Right Team

A lot of thought and strategic planning should go into building any team, and software development teams are no exception. From the software architect to the business analyst, every person is valuable and fulfills an important contribution within the team.

Putting together a strong software development team entails more than just assembling a group of talented programmers. Every member of the team must be acknowledged and have a valid purpose for joining forces with the rest. You must be deliberate in your selection of each team member and ensure that their roles are absolutely clear.

Software projects can only progress if all the important team members are present and working together. When it comes to software development initiatives, no one is above anyone else; everyone matters. Mistakes can occur when roles are distributed poorly and responsibilities are unclear and incorrectly specified. 

To ensure your project’s success, it is critical to pay close attention when assembling your team. When you have ensured that you have a group of people working together efficiently and in harmony, you are guaranteed to get the best results.

How Do You Build a Good Software Development Team?

In order to do that, you’ll need to figure out exactly what kind of crew you’ll need to complete the job. Your engineering team’s primary goal should be to manage trade-offs and maximize productivity. 

Every member of the team should make meaningful contributions that complement the other team members’ abilities and help. First, you must decide whether your team requires more generalists, specialists, or a combination of both (a blended team).

Generalists

They offer a holistic viewpoint, bringing to the table a vast array of skills in multiple areas. They tend to work more surface level but their broad skill set is an absolute advantage, especially for start-ups.

Specialists

They are your go-to person for specific problems. While their area of expertise is a lot more narrow and focused, when they get to work in their area of specialty they are unmatched, and therefore also very important in the development process. Their true value shines through especially for big companies with projects of very high complexity.

The best method to make this choice is to consider the nature, complexity, time frame, and budget of your project.

Key Factors Behind a Successful Software Development Team Structure

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There are many important roles that need to be taken into consideration when building the team. No two software projects will require the exact same software development team roles with the exact same distribution of responsibility, but there are some key elements that make an appearance in most (if not all) successful teams.

1. Business Analyst

This person is the bridge between the business’ needs and the software developers. They establish, assess, and manage business as well as technical requirements throughout the software development lifecycle. Also, they accompany the customer all throughout the development process to answer questions, provide suggestions, define and establish the framework, and provide innovative approaches.

2. Project Manager  

They are in charge of the software project and ensuring that the development plan is followed and all the goals are achieved throughout the process. They supervise the development team and communicate with the owner of the project. If there is one member who knows all the important details about the software project, it’s the project manager.

3. Software Architect

The software architect is the person in charge of defining a project’s entire architecture system. They make important system design decisions based on non-functional objectives, while also being in charge of checking the coding and ensuring the design’s quality.

4. Software Developers

They are the backbone of the software project team structure – after all, there is no development without developers. They work closely with the entire team, reporting to the project manager, following guidelines from the architect, and working hard to build the best software product for the owner.

5. Software Testers

The team member is commonly known as the “quality assurance engineer” and makes sure your product is error-free by identifying any flaws before they reach end consumers. QA engineers run a variety of tests in different scenarios to check for issues in anything from performance and functionality to usability and security. They then report them to a group of developers so that they may quickly remedy issues.

These are, of course, just a few of the many roles which can be found in a successful software development team – a skeleton of the team structure, to which you can add team leads, user experience designers, and many other experts that can upscale the software development process.

The Best Software Development Teams with Idyllic

From the moment we learn about your vision for your software product to the moment we deliver it to you in its best form, there is a development team working hard to deliver the best results. 
If you want to learn more about our experts and what they can do for you in terms of software development, contact us, and let’s chat.

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