Managing project teams of different sizes and complexity is part of your responsibilities as a business leader, no matter your vertical or industry. Managing a team of software developers is no different — you need to get a handle on the problems your developers face with new software implementations, upgrades, and new cloud-based solutions. Some of the top challenges for software developers include:
Unclear Goals
Do you know the first step of all software development processes? Planning and goal-setting. Having a clear game plan is vital as it prevents you from building software that is not necessary while offering a more efficient route for your team to follow to achieve your aims. Your developers need to know that they are working on something worth sacrificing their TV-binging popcorn, sweet dreams, and hot dates for.
With that being said, when your goals and instructions to your team are unclear or confusing, it will lead to problems with team working and development delays. Different organizations have varying needs, so you need to ensure that you orient your goals to your needs and not rely solely on a template from other companies.
Poorly Defined Team Structure
Your team’s structure is similar to a skeleton. If you do not have a robust skeleton, the entire body cannot function. Similarly, you must establish your team’s size and each member’s role within it to ensure that each developer understands what is required of them.
Like a skeleton, a software development team can be quite fragile to the extent that a malfunction in a single component could result in the collapse of the entire structure. As a leader, you need to keep tabs on any team structure problems that could cause friction among your team members and stop them from performing their duties.
It is your responsibility to allocate tasks according to each member’s strengths to ensure that each part of the “skeleton” plays its part to avoid the collapse of the “body.”
Lack of Engagement
A big challenge when dealing with developers is encouraging open communication. Members of your team should feel just as open discussing the project with management as they do with their fellow coders. The more your team communicates, the easier the entire development process will be.
There are several ways to boost engagement. For instance, before you embark on a large development project, you could plan for a casual meet-up with your team beforehand, where management gets coffee or have dinner together in an informal setting. Informal conversations are a great way for you to get to know your team personally, increasing trust, mutual respect, and an understanding of each other’s strengths.
Engaged team members will also not hesitate to provide you with feedback regarding their work and their challenges.
Scarce Career Advancement Opportunities
The IT industry is highly competitive. As a result, software developers must constantly strive to be innovative and upgrade their skills to keep pace with the business’s continuous changes. Attracting and retaining competent software developers is a challenge, so you need to pay close attention to your developers’ need to feel that they can advance their careers and improve within your organization.
When you invest your time and money in your development team, you not only help them to develop new skills to benefit your business, but you also increase their loyalty to your company. Besides having a clear path into management for your top developers, you could also offer mentorship, sponsor further education, and provide training workshops.
Improve Your Developers’ Chances of Success by Addressing Their Challenges
It is not easy to build and maintain an effective team of software developers. To cater to the challenges they face requires you to implement a rotation of control, leadership, planning, and organization, as well as a healthy dose of interpersonal management. However, keeping your developers happy and motivated through effort, improvisation, and persistence is possible.
