{"id":14230,"date":"2020-10-28T12:12:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T12:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/codeandpepper.com\/?p=14230"},"modified":"2022-04-05T07:17:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T07:17:12","slug":"key-roles-in-e2e-software-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/codeandpepper.com\/key-roles-in-e2e-software-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Roles in E2E Software Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

App development is like professional football. Companies are like teams and their employees are like players, coaches, and managers. After all, what happens backstage and between the games is equally important to the actual performance on the football pitch. Every member of the group is crucial for success, though their roles are different. Read on to learn all you need to know about the roles in software development teams!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"e2e<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is who in E2E project management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The two main parties in every software development process are the Team<\/strong> and the Product Owner<\/strong>. They depend on each other and one cannot exist without the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to help you understand who works on end-to-end software development projects in Code & Pepper (and in many other companies as well), we\u2019ll start with the team that actually creates the product and then explain the supporting roles (which, by the way, are vital on all SDLC<\/a> stages).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team and its members<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the technical side of the product development process are, obviously, team members, most of whom are software developers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developers and testers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The most typical roles in the bunch are developers and testers, however they are treated equally in Scrum teams<\/a> and referred to as \u201cdevelopers\u201d. After all, both groups are responsible for building the solution and making sure that it actually works exactly how the Product Owner describes it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, there are three to nine developers in a team and they coordinate their work on their own. Such a self-organizing squad is expected to interact with the clients as much as needed in order to have a perfect understanding of their needs and immediate feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of larger teams, a leader can be designated to help move things smoothly. We are not going to discuss the roles of every possible team member, because teams vary from project to project, depending on the actual needs. Instead, let\u2019s take a look at the most common ones and try to define what makes a team effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who brings what to the table? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the project, the team may combine specialists in different fields, such as front-end developers, back-end developers, product designers, DevOps engineers, quality assurance engineers or even subject matter experts, if needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical Lead<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Technical Lead can be more of a project role, as, in general, there are no designated team leaders in Scrum teams. In the case of larger teams, the Technical Lead is the leader, manager, architect and a senior developer \u2013 all merged in one person. While not necessarily an expert in all of these fields, a TL focuses on keeping track of progress, making sure every developer completes the job on time and, most importantly, coordinating and supporting other developers. All in all, it\u2019s a very helpful role in complex projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product Designers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Specialists in UX design<\/a>, UI design<\/a> and information architecture can be all listed under the collective term of Product Designers<\/em>. Their work is key before\u00a0 developers even show up. In fact, we could call designers artists who create the whole image of the future app. They come up with ideas regarding how it should feel and look like, as well as translate the language of business into what the final product actually is. Moreover, they\u2019re present throughout the development process, analyzing how changes influence the user experience or conversion rates and redesigning the components in an ongoing process of upgrading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developers (front-end and back-end)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There are two basic types of developers in virtually every product team: Front-end Developers<\/strong> and Back-end Developers<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former are responsible for implementing the visual layer of the application that the user can interact with: the application interface with all its buttons, text fields, checkboxes, scrolling bars, etc. Nowadays, the most difficult part of the job is making sure each component works identically on every device. It means working with thousands of models of mobile phones and tablets with different operating systems, various web browsers and even smart TVs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter do what it takes for the application to actually perform well, not just look nice. Back-end Developers<\/a> create the whole engine of an app, starting from planning and designing its architecture, to executing the plans in the form of code. They solve technical dilemmas and act as consultants \u2014 if Back-end Developers find a better way to do things or a better solution to a problem, they will definitely share it with the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worth noting: many teams nowadays prefer to use a T-shaped developer model<\/a>, in which Front-end and Back-end specialists share parts of their skills and roles. In other words, apart from being experts in just one field, they are also familiar with the basics of other roles. This way, they have a better understanding of the problems their teammates need to deal with and can work in a more agile way<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality Assurance Engineer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trust, but verify \u2013 as the old Russian proverb says. Software development is a complex process and sometimes errors happen. The QA Engineer<\/a> makes sure all of them are found and fixed before release. Besides testing performance, usability, security and portability, as well as verifying that the application meets the end-user\u2019s needs, QA experts are present on most of the work phases. They create the project documentation, prepare test cases and finally \u2013 it\u2019s up to them to confirm that the final version of the app can do everything that was planned and does it well.
The most important aspect of having a skilled QA Engineer on board (besides the obvious problem-solving skills) is that they can save the rest of the team a terrible headache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DevOps Engineer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If developers are people who create a usable and performant app, a DevOps Engineer is the one who makes sure it is resistant to unexpected events. Consider issues like sudden spikes in user activity, a need for urgent upgrades and being 100% sure that the system operates with its full potential 24\/7 or is available from all possible locations in the world. In this context, a DevOps specialist is like a SAS operator of software development. That\u2019s because modern app hosting mechanisms are deeply rooted in development and often intertwine with the software development world, which makes the DevOps Engineer needed on all stages of SDLC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such specialised work must cost a fortune and it\u2019s partially true. While hiring a DevOps seems expensive at the beginning, it\u2019s always an investment worth the price. Because DevOps engineers ensure that the product is balanced, scalable and ready for continuous delivery, they ultimately help reduce the running costs to the minimum, thus maximizing ROI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Product Owner\u2019s part in the process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the PO\u2019s responsibility to voice the needs of the client or the stakeholders and make sure the team delivers the anticipated results. The PO defines what the product actually is, manages the backlog and sets priorities (while remembering about dependencies, not just importance-wise). There should be only one Product Owner (as a single point of contact for this domain) per a Scrum project, but one PO can work with several projects. Also, the PO function cannot be combined with that of a Scrum Master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main focus of product ownership is the business side of work and communication between the stakeholders and the development team. However, a good specialist never forces the team to anything, but rather communicates the client\u2019s needs in a simple, non-technical way.The most important responsibilities of a Product Owner are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. To define the vision<\/li>
  2. To manage the product backlog<\/li>
  3. To prioritize the needs<\/li>
  4. To oversee the development stages<\/li>
  5. To anticipate the client\u2019s needs<\/li>
  6. To be the link between the stakeholders and the team<\/li>
  7. To evaluate the progress<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Project Manager (PM)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In companies that develop software in a B2B model, such as Code & Pepper, a dedicated Project Manager is necessary to maintain the project as a commercial engagement and to establish  dialogue between the stakeholders and the team. The PM drafts and manages the budget and schedules, as well as the key processes: risk management and scope management. There is more, though, and the PM\u2019s list of duties places this role among the most important ones. Here\u2019s what a typical PM is responsible for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n