Are you confused by how to structure my team?? Our guide offers guidance on structuring software teams effectively by outlining key factors to consider before organizing them.
Your team of software developers may seem foreign at first when hearing abbreviations such as PM, PO, and PMM, as well as terms like Scrum or Kanban being bandied about.
But we have you covered! In this article, well outline various Agile management approaches and share our experiences building teams for software development within startups. Please learn more about your team members as you select an ideal team and avoid making costly errors; so lets begin!
The Need to Structure Software Teams
Human beings were created to work within groups; thats how society developed. Companies understand this fact well enough: teams perform best.
Employees hired can then form such groups that collaborate to find solutions together. Software development follows suit - only some full-stack developers possess all of the expertise needed for handling UI/UX design, Continuous integration/continuous deployment workflow management, etc, therefore needing multiple specialists with diverse expertise from multiple backgrounds working on it in tandem to complete it successfully.
Dedicated team leaders need to recognize all aspects and issues associated with a project before solving these through collective effort before building and deploying software solutions for deployment.
A group of developers may take months to do this task alone, while one developer could likely accomplish all tasks as efficiently.
Delivering software applications promptly is thus of utmost importance, and only through teamwork will an efficient design pipeline and execution cycle be established and executed as planned.
Considerations to Make Before Creating a Team
Before structuring a team, it is necessary to consider several crucial factors and formulate an actionable plan.
Understanding these details will give you everything necessary for building an efficient group.
How Complex and Large is Your Project?
Contact a technologist if you need guidance identifying which tools or technologies will best serve your project needs.
Theyll give an accurate appraisal of its complexity so that you know whether an entire team needs to complete it or whether additional features might be beneficial. You will soon gain control of every stage and decide whether extra elements might be required to help meet goals or still need to be fulfilled.
The Time Required to Build the Project
Your timeline depends on when and how soon you need the project finished and available online for your business.
A team of individuals may work collaboratively, covering one project at a time as they complete them one after another. Creating the application yourself takes more time; pre-made software like prototype code could save both effort and time.
Budget
Budget planning for software development projects is paramount as youll likely invest a considerable sum. Decide how much of your funds you will allocate toward developing software before planning team structure; for smaller budgets, consider selecting a minor team; more considerable funds may allow expansion.
Common Team Structure
Now that you understand what factors to consider when structuring a software development team, it is time to implement these approaches and assess them against your team model.
Before taking further action, gather more details about each approach you intend to explore.
Waterfall Method
Since the 1960s and introduced into the world in 1968, this method has extensively influenced software business models.
Due to large team sizes of up to fifteen members, software giants worldwide used its three principles - low customer involvement, good documentation, and sequential project implementation- which were still prevalent during its initial implementation, and popularity was still relevant during the 1990s implementation of such projects.
The Agile Method
The Agile software development team structure has existed for two decades.
Beginning in the early 2000s, a group of software developers decided to adopt it after feeling limited by traditional waterfall methodologies, requiring developers to repeat cycles repeatedly. Agile teams follow three core principles similar to the waterfall: high customer involvement, effective communication among team members, and an iterative project structure, as well as keeping in constant touch with customers as their needs may change throughout a project.
When new features arise, they often reach out directly for help when finding out about it from the Agile team.
Structures of Software Development Teams
We need to begin with the fundamentals while we build a software team. The basic structure of a software development team is a hybrid system, a specialist and a generalist.
Generalists
What are generalists and their this question likely crossed your mind? As you consider how to structure your software mind.
Generalist teams consist of individuals with diverse technical skill sets. Together, they are accountable for overseeing an entire custom software project or individual features within it - making this agile team structure one of the easiest for most outsourcing firms.
What Are the Benefits of Generalists?
- Each team member is familiar with the product, which allows them to focus on improving it.
- Every individual can complete their task without assistance from others.
Limitations of a Generalist Approach
- Adding new team members in the middle of a project is possible.
- Generalists are often expected to do little, and adjustment problems can occur.
Specialists
Specialists refer to experts within a specific domain. It means that experts can perform narrower tasks more efficiently, thus creating teams of "specialists." Each person acts as their expert on any task - each is responsible for all work completed on projects under similar arrangements in software development teams.
Benefits of Hiring Specialists:
- Every stakeholder is aware of it and thoroughly understands the project.
- The team has confidence in its ability to develop complex systems of high quality.
How To Hire Specialist Professionals?
- Its sometimes impossible to track down the components that will not work in the initial iteration since each person works independently.
- Communication gaps may occur due to a need for more knowledge.
Hybrid
Hybrid approaches represent the perfect blend between two approaches; in this instance, it includes both generalists and specialists working collaboratively on software projects; these groups may specialize if required, making this hybrid method efficient and cost-effective.
Hybrid Approaches Have Many Advantages
- The specialists can help you build the individual components. The generalists ensure the integration of the system.
- It is possible to achieve high productivity in the software development process.
- Development processes have been streamlined. Development processes have been streamlined.
The Pros and Cons of the Hybrid Approach
- It can be difficult for the software development team to work with individuals who use different working methods.
- You will need to invest a lot of time and money if you want to use hybrid teams in your company.
The Difference Between the Agile Software Development Team Structure and the Traditional Team Structure
Companies today seek to form project teams that adhere to corporate values, have agile structures, or both. Agile team structures tend to be seen as being more modern and efficient; however, traditional structures still exist and may prove helpful depending on your circumstances.
Here, we examine how Agile differs from other software team structures. Before proceeding further with Agile research, its vital that you first comprehend its unique qualities compared to its counterparts.
Agile teams emphasize teamwork and collaboration; however, Agile takes an entirely different approach from conventional groups.
Traditional groups usually assign each member individual tasks that must be accomplished; often, a supervisor oversees everything under the control of these tasks. Agile and traditional software methodologies share similar guiding principles and values that help determine how cross-functional teams should be organized to deliver desired results effectively.
An agile team views people not as resources but as talents. Each member brings something distinct to the table, regardless of their title.
All work collaboratively towards accomplishing one shared goal.
Related:- 8 Essential Steps for Successful Software Development this year
Traditional Team Vs. Agile Team
Traditional project manager teams are formed using hierarchies from managers down through all levels. Each manager, team member, and subordinate has delineated responsibilities; software team structures provide greater oversight.
On the other hand, agile teams organize themselves and take care of themselves independently when it comes to management.
Organizational leaders within scrum, kanban, and service delivery management help facilitate productive team environments where each member of their respective team can thrive; agile teams may consist of as few as 9-10 people with plenty of autonomy for team members.
Roles of Contribution in a Traditional Development Team
Traditional roles in software development teams include the Product Owner, Project Manager, Business Analyst, Software Developer, QA software Engineer, and UI/UX Designer.
A Twitter user named Sandeep provided a list of roles essential to a software team.
Business Analyst (BA)
Business analysts serve as the face of any project after-sales staff has left. When analyzing client business needs and objectives, an analyst should examine stakeholder feedback and research their requirements, keeping clients updated to help define and meet goals effectively.
Development may then follow; the team may have to turn an elusive concept of a product into concrete business requirements.
After everything else has been accomplished, your BA will present all of these requirements to the team responsible for product development.
They now possess an in-depth knowledge of your business processes from different perspectives and develop software products that add the most excellent value for the company. Business analysts act as mediators between clients and development teams even at later stages before software teams have been formed - these are among their many functions!
- Understanding the customers business processes is essential.
- Translation of customer requirements into specifications.
- Align with the wants of the client and our services.
Product Owner
Roles and responsibilities between a Business Analyst (BA) and Project Officer (PO) often overlap significantly, which begs the question: Is having both on one team necessary, and how are their differences apparent? The Product Owner is essential to any successful complex project; they understand users thoroughly while overseeing internal operations to keep things on schedule and budget.
Product owners primary responsibility is ensuring their product meets client requirements, keeping an eye on their product team, providing assistance and coordination, and ensuring everything is ready for the launch of the final product.
Product owners enhance product vision while outlining business strategies to meet client requirements and meet them entirely.
In addition to the responsibilities mentioned above, POs will also.
- You should have a vision for your product and be responsible for its evolution.
- Ensure that your product will be delivered smoothly and on time.
- Ascertain that the final output complies with the needs of the client.
Product Manager
A project manager (PM) is accountable for allocating work to their team members, organizing activities, and tracking project progress.
Project managers (PMs) oversee and direct the execution and planning for any given project, from its inception through execution. A PMs primary job responsibility includes:
- Smooth operations.
- We are maintaining relationships between different organizational departments and stakeholders.
- You are assigning work efficiently across teams.
They ensure timely progress.
A product manager creates and upholds a vision for their product, promotes communication and transparency between teammates, and improves development processes.
They ensure each iteration of an Agile project delivers more value, emphasizing self-management transparency, shared responsibilities, and shared responsibility among colleagues.
UX/UI Designer
Designers of user experiences (UI/UX) are responsible for creating apps with an aesthetic value that appeals to users.
At the same time, UX/UI developers aim to ensure every feature or functionality addresses users pain points while showing how it has significant financial impacts. Essential components in product development processes are user experience (UX) and designing user interfaces (UI).
UX (user experience) design encompasses every stage of a user journey and interaction between products and users, from research on personas through personal development, designing information architecture and wireframing/prototyping to prototyping apps with user interface designers aimed at making apps interactive, simple to use and pleasing aesthetically.
Primary focus areas include:
- Create a user-friendly design from a profound vision of product development.
- UI/UX engineers are responsible for designing user journeys to provide the highest possible conversion rate and user experience.
Developers of Software (Front End/backend)
Experienced software developers play an indispensable part in development.
Their responsibilities include writing code following plans developed by frontend or backend software developers - just as an app has both front and back ends.
Frontend designers create the user interface, ensuring it functions flawlessly across platforms, devices, and operating systems.
Backend developers are responsible for developing an apps core functionality - this may involve algorithm or business logic development. Experienced backend developers often perform both design and code tasks.
Software developers are responsible for creating programs that others can utilize.
Stability and smooth development of products are essential.
- Solve any issues that may arise in the course of development.
- They must meet their sprints and deadlines on time.
Quality Assurance Engineer
Whos responsible for correcting flaws and updating an app? Test software engineers play an integral part here; their primary responsibility is QA testing products to meet customer standards and quality criteria - serving as final editors to ensure everything looks right before final user interaction takes place.
With them on board, bugs or errors may be addressed before users notice them!
Quality assurance (QA) plays an essential role in the design and development of products. Their purpose is to monitor all processes to make sure tests dont need to be repeated at later stages.
The primary focus of QA, or a Testing Engineer, is;
- Coordination between the development team and operational teams should be smooth.
- Make sure no bugs remain behind.
- Deliveries that are error-free and smooth.
The Roles of Software Development Teams
As you are likely aware, software development teams require individuals with expertise in many different areas - frontend/backend development of applications, server logic for systems, project management/CI/CD pipeline management, etc - which you must hire or find to achieve optimal results from projects.
Here are a few job roles that you may consider hiring to secure the success of any given endeavor:
- Product Owner.
- Business Analyst
- Software Project Manager.
- DevOps Engineer.
- UI/UX designer.
- Software Architect.
- Software Developer
- QA and Testing Engineer
Guidelines for a Successful Software Development Team Structure
Hiring the Right Person
Upwork, optimize, and Fiverr are great freelance platforms to advertise a job. Once found, interview and hire them as needed - although remote talent sourcing platforms such as Upwork may simplify this task!
Build Your Team
When your team is assembled, it is time to structure them using the above points as guidelines for choosing appropriate methods and budgeting accordingly.
Be mindful that changes might arise during your project as things develop further, and make sure budget and structuring remain in sync, as this might change over time.
Establish Software Development Goals
Goals will set the direction for any project, making them essential in setting practical development activities.
Clarifying them allows your team members to understand where their focus should lie, such as providing solutions that enhance enterprise needs. This also gives you time and clarity during meetings!
Allocate Responsibilities To Team Members
Responsibilities within software development teams are of equal significance; they identify whos accountable for what.
You might assume developers would work solely on software solutions; however, that would only be partially accurate - product owners and project managers need to work collaboratively and assign roles across each member of their teams so development cycles run efficiently.
Watch Your Team
Have you selected the ideal team members to develop your product, trusting them enough that you are willing to entrust your finances to them? However, as part of being responsible and overseeing all their activities, a constant watch must also be maintained on each group member.
Monitoring the team closely will enable you to detect any flaws or problems during development and bring these up with your project manager for solutions.
By closely following their progress, monitoring will allow insight into product creation as a process and its phases.
As soon as your product or service launches, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) provide the ideal way to measure team activity. Monitoring software development teams using KPIs gives greater insight into project development by keeping you regularly up-to-date regarding production updates for your product/service.
Communication And Empowerment Of Your Team Is Essential
Communication is paramount; failure to do so could result in your team needing to understand your needs, leading to subpar products with numerous flaws.
As the project owner, regular dialogue must take place between yourself and the team so you can monitor their progress and ensure the development process runs smoothly; rather than discouraging the team with the inability to resolve problems yourself, empower them instead by giving them all of the knowledge required for effective problem-solving!
Communication and empowerment of your team are essential if you want to speed up and improve your software product with a team structure.
Structuring is critical when structuring a team to boost the efficiency and speed of software product production. Team structure also contributes to adding features that expand capabilities while providing users with optimal experiences.
Take your time when selecting an ideal team-structuring method; this guide offers tips, approaches, and factors to apply when building one for optimal team-building success.
Conclusion
As this blog highlights, selecting and structuring an effective team can be overwhelming for businesses. They all strive for the ideal software team and highest-quality deliverables possible; each role comes with specific roles and responsibilities and must account for how they fulfill them; ultimately, this requires companies to define all roles and responsibilities clearly to meet business goals successfully.
