Software Development Team: Key Roles & Structure

A dedicated software development team holds the fate of a software project in its hands. Hence, it is important for organizations to configure a multidisciplinary team who endure professionalism and have the potential to deliver good results.

Proper guidance of the team members is essential to move the software projects in the right direction. Every team member of the development team is equally important. However, they reveal their best self when they are managing responsibilities that appropriately fits their capabilities. Therefore, it is important to build a perfect team to get the perfect results.

Every team member in the software development process is assigned different roles and responsibilities and we have decided to dig deeper into that and explore what each professional does. But before that let’s take a look at the structure of the software development team.

Key Roles & Responsibilities of A Development Team

Business Analyst

The job of Business Analyst is to translate business requirements and ensure that these requirements are documented properly before a solution is drafted and implemented. Business analysts work as a communicator, transfer data and requirements between product owner and developers. Additionally, the analyst is also responsible for keeping track of the project status and communicating technical requirements.

Responsibilities

• Define, analyze, and manage technical and business requirements throughout the whole project cycle.
• Accompany the customer throughout the entire software development process to clear up any questions, propose improvements, define the scope and prioritize it, and provide technological solutions.
• Make decisions and guide the team in the software development process based on priorities previously agreed on with the client.
• Carry out team meetings.
• Be the guardians of the project’s methodology and main promoters of quality.

Product Owner

The product owner is someone who has a clear vision of the product and represents both the client and the end users. They are the primary source of contact for all decisions pertaining to the project.

Responsibilities

• Build effective communication between the client/end users and the development team.
• Communicate work priorities, updates, and issues that emerge during the development process.
• Document user stories or requirements for the software project.
• Maintain and update the product backlog.
• Maximize the return on investment (ROI) of the software project.
• Make the final decision on all scope-related decisions.

Project Manager

The Project Manager controls the activities of the software development team and is there for them whenever the development team encounters any hurdle. A project manager knows the entire project plan, moreover, he drafts the strategy in a way that the project goals are achieved within a stipulated period of time. They are also in charge of supervising the development team and effectively communicating with the stakeholders.

Conclusion

A successful software development team is a structure of a group of people who work rigorously towards a single goal. A high-performing team needs to be synchronized in order to act smoothly and efficiently.