The failure rate of startups reached 90% according to 2019 stats with 75% of venture-backed companies never returning money to their investors. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that about 20% of small businesses fail in their first year and 50% — after the fifth year. Until blood hasn’t started running from your face and you haven’t sworn to start any business at all, we would like to highlight: there still are the businesses that succeed. What are the factors that play such a crucial role that divides products into hit-makers and failures? The answer is...wait for it: a perfect combination.
Successful software projects are a perfect combination of team, business model, idea, timing, and funding.
From this picture, it’s visible that there are 5 main factors that influence the result of the project. Undoubtedly, all of them are of great importance, but the one that dictates a project’s outcome and its time-to-market is the team.
In this article, we decided to shed light on the software development team roles and responsibilities, as its understanding is vital for non-technical product owners to understand the nature of software team development and multiply their chances for success.
Software product development team roles and responsibilities
Back-end Developer
A back-end developer is the brain of a site. They run three hidden elements: a server, an application, and a database. Though a user never sees these elements, they are a fundamental base on which the site is built. After a product owner shares their ideas and requirements to the product, a back-end developer chooses among the programming languages and tools to write an accurate code.
A back-end developer is responsible for building server-side software, creating databases, its integration and management, API and cloud computing integration, ensuring security.
Front-end Developer
A front-end developer is a person who combines the design craft with the science of programming. Simply put, they are in charge of the implementation of visual elements that users interact with. They integrate frameworks, scripts, design, and markup languages to establish an environment that runs efficiently and smoothly. Everything a user can see or click is a result of the front-end developer’s work. By converting website design into JavaScript, HTML, and CSS code, they build an interactive interface packed with navigation, images, content, and design.
A front-end developer is responsible for guaranteeing a flawless user experience, smooth design implementation, optimizing application speed and scalability, routinely testing websites, and fixing bugs.
Quality Assurance Engineer
Unfortunately, the process of software development isn’t flawless, and an ideal product doesn’t appear after the first try. Therefore, there is a need for a person who tests the application’s performance, security, and usability. This person is a QA engineer. They not only test the application from the end-user perspective, but they also ensure that all the requirements of the product owner are implemented in a proper way. The responsibilities of a QA engineer include creating test cases, writing documentation, and offering the best solutions to improve the product.
UX/UI Designer
Successful software projects are impossible without an eye-pleasing user interface. No matter how great the idea and the code are, if the application doesn’t provide a user with a smooth and enjoyable experience, it won’t survive the competition. UX/UI designers are in charge of creating a functional user experience, analyzing data, and proposing possible solutions to enhance the visual and practical value of the application.
Project Manager
A project manager is the eyes and ears of a product owner. He mediates in the communication process between a team and a customer, delivering all the necessary information to the parties. It’s a common case that for a non-technical product owner it’s challenging to get the IT terms, to understand the time frames, etc. Therefore, a PM serves as a consultant in the technology sphere for a customer and as a team leader for a development team. They are responsible for meeting deadlines, problem-solving, investigating the development process, building a software development team with the best candidates, and guaranteeing a customer the best product delivered within the shortest time period.
Wrapping up
Successful software projects don’t just fall from the sky. They are a result of the persistent work of the whole team of professionals. Those 5 team members, presented in the article are the basis of software development teams’ structure and a guarantee for fast time-to-market and agile products.
The most you can do for your product to become a hit is to find a team of professionals who share your vision. In inVerita, we know how to build the intersection of art and logic and we will be glad to help you. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
