Roles and Responsibilities in a Development Team
January 14, 2021
Finding a web development team for your project requires not only understanding how the development process works but also the roles of each member of the team. Find out the essential information that will help you talk to your potential business partners.
Approaching a web development team for the first time can be intimidating, especially if you’re not familiar with the IT world. That shouldn’t stop you from bringing your idea for an app to life! Here you will find a basic guide on website development team roles so you can have a better understanding of what is going on once your project goes into development.
Good Web Development Projects – Why It’s Important to Understand Your Team
Creating web and mobile applications isn’t exclusive for people with extensive experience in IT. Often people who have an idea for an app aren’t interested in IT, but they work in a business branch that needs a solution to a common problem. Not knowing the development process could be an advantage: it creates room for unconventional thinking which is the mother of innovation. Non-technical product owners usually bring something fresh to the table.
However, it is advisable to gain as much knowledge as possible before choosing a web development team. The most important reasons behind that advice are as follows:
- Realistic Budgeting
The first reason why you should get to know web development team roles is very down-to-earth: money. The hourly rate of each specialist in a web development team will take a great chunk of your budget. Making sure where the money goes is a good habit to have not only in app development but in business as well.
- Better Communication Flow
Talking about your project is easier when you know who’s responsible for each part of the development process. Granted, you will most likely communicate with the Project Manager, but if you have specific questions about the project, it’s best to talk directly to the specialist. It also builds trust between you and the team members, which is an essential part of every successful project.
- Making Better Choices
Once you know what to expect from the web development team, you get a good idea of what the development process looks like. This way you can analyze your vendors more precisely and choose the best one for your project. Taking a pick won’t be just a matter of who’s available, but who’s going to bring your project to success.
Overall, more knowledge is always better than little knowledge. Don’t hesitate to immerse yourself in IT, understand its various specialties and jargon – asking questions is part of the development process that allows you to foresee potential problems.
Web Development Team – Roles and Responsibilities
It should be noted that each software house has its own approach to the development process. Sometimes one member of the team has multiple roles. Other times the company outsources services like design since they don’t have designers on board, or hire a freelancer when a specific coding language is needed to deliver the project. Ask about this while talking to vendors. Whatever the situation might be, the positions below are the most common roles in every complete web development team.
Business Analyst
No matter what kind of user problem your web apps are going to solve, for you as the Product Owner the goal is to make money. That’s why business analysis is performed before the project goes to the coding stage. Business Analyst helps you understand the market and the position your app is going to take in the broader context of sales and marketing. They will guide you through the business aspects of building a digital product to maximize the potential return of investment. They’re also there for you when you need to understand your stakeholders and customers. In short, a Business Analyst’s role is to increase the real value of your project.
Project Manager
The bridge between the web development team and yourself – Project Managers keeps tabs on the timeline of the project and makes sure that it does meet the initial requirements. The Project Manager is your go-to contact for any issues with the project. They are responsible for creating timeframes for each stage of product development. Sprints, check-ups, meetings, and deadlines are part of their daily tasks. They partake in the preparation phase and later monitor the entire process of development by overseeing the cooperation between web development team members.
UI/UX designer
Although they are intertwined, UX and UI are two different things: User Experience is a sum of interactions the user has with the web applications while User Interface is referred to the visual elements that make those interactions possible. It’s an aspect of a web development process that is especially important for the end-user. The job of the UX/UI designer is to come up with the most intuitive ways of interacting with the application. They do so by creating wireframes and user patterns that later become the prototype of the app.
Read also: UX design patterns – what are they and why do they work?
Front-end Developer – Software Engineer for what the user sees
Front-ender Developer is responsible for coding the user side of the project. They create the visual, interactive version of the app, known as the user interface. They are responsible for coordinating with the vision created by the Product Owner and the UX/UI Designer so that the developed user patterns are applied accordingly.
Some of the most popular front-end development technologies include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, React Native, Flutter.
Back-end Developer – Software Engineer for what the user doesn’t see
Back-end Developer writes code for the server-side of the project. If the front-end develops a button, the back-end decides what the button is going to do. They also deal with databases that are essential for web applications to act the way they’re supposed to.
Top picks for technologies used for back-end development: Python, Kotlin, Node.js, Ruby on Rails.
Quality Assurance Engineer
Just like items on a production tape in a factory go through random checkups to test their quality, digital products of all types go through a series of tests to prove they’re fit for the market. Quality Assurance Engineers, or simply QAs, conduct various tests during the development process to make sure the app is bug-free and works without any issues. The work of a QA isn’t limited to the final stage of web application development – they’re present every time a new feature is designed and implemented to ensure seamless integration into the code.
Each position in the web development team can have different levels of seniority. Not every developer has the same responsibilities and not every designer is responsible for both UX and UI. Ask how many junior and senior members are in your team to better understand how the workload is distributed.
Website Development Team Structure at BinarApps
Our approach to web app development is divided into 5 segments. Building a web development team is based on what the project needs. With over 100 employees, we can provide complex services that turn your idea into reality, no matter if it’s a prototype, an MVP, or a full-fledged application.
Strategy
We can help you come up with the best business strategy even before your app idea goes into the development process. This way we ensure that design, coding, and testing meets specific goals. We conduct innovative workshops that help define these goals. The strategy is backed up by facts gained through research and analysis of the target groups.
Front-end Development
Designers and developers work side by side to create apps that are visually appealing and easy to navigate. We provide complex front-end development services to create multi-faceted, attractive apps.
Back-end Development
We strive to keep up with the highest standards of code, paying close attention to each line. The code we write is clean and makes a strong base for your app to work as smoothly as possible.
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance Engineers are present during every step of the development process. Thanks to them, we can come up with even better features for your app. Every digital product goes through a series of manual and automated tests to make sure that only the best of the best is released into the market.
Maintenance and Support
Building a web development team wouldn’t be complete without thinking beyond the launch date. Once your app is available for the users, our team provides support in case of an emergency. We believe in prevention over intervention, so we are always on the lookout for features that could improve the app’s performance.
Summary
Finding a well-rounded web development team is crucial for a smooth development process. There is no guarantee that your project will not bump into any obstacles. However, with the right team overcoming difficulties will be just another step on the road to success and not a complete failure. Website development team structure can differ from one company to another, but the most common positions are Business Analyst, Project Manager, UX/UI Designer, Front-end and Back-end Developer, and Quality Assurance Engineer. Every Product Owner should know the basics about their roles and responsibilities to accurately manage the budget. Not every team member is going to be necessary for every project. Creating a web development team should be tailored according to the project’s needs. Good web development projects require two things in general: good communication and understanding the business goals. Once the entire team is aware of what’s the main purpose of the project, the cooperation is bound to be fruitful. Good luck!
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January 14, 2021
