5 Most Common Issues Faced By Software Developers and How To Solve Them

Putting together a team to achieve a specific objective is one herculean task that every organization has to take on every so often. To get a software development team up and running, you would have to solve problems.

Here, we shall discuss some of the common issues faced by software developers and present some possible solutions that you could use to overcome the challenges.

In any group setting, there are particular dynamics that happen whenever people are brought together for a given purpose. The case is not any different from the software developers’.

Forming

This is the initial stage where the software developers get to know each other for the very first time. It is characterized by the acknowledging the presence and habits of team members.

Storming

The next stage of these dynamics is the storming where the members of the group go through a selection stage. Members at this stage start to form cocoons and groups within the team. New friendships are formed just as new enemies are created.

During this stage, people tend to have different opinions on how to do things. As a manager who understands the dynamics, you should always direct the group to focus on the project bottom-line.

The secret is to try not to suppress conflicts, but rather to use the conflicts to bring out the best in every team player.

Norming

This is the stage where the conflict dissipates. Here, team members generally learn to get along together for the greater good of the company. As a manager, this is the stage where you need to dedicate a whole lot of tasks to the team.

The beauty of the norming stage is that team members are more willing to take on tasks and also help their colleagues to complete tasks.

Performing

In this stage, the group tends to have some level of unity of purpose. As a result, they exhibit better performance and more co operation. Usually, this is the stage where the bulk of the work gets done.

It is the stage where most developers would want the team to start from, however, lofty the idea is.

Adjourning

As the last stage of the interactions involving software developers, this is where team members thank each other for having stayed together to accomplish a given task.

However, not all of these challenges could be solved by a single solution.

One old way of settling issues is through listening to both sides and seeking to arrive at a consensus. While this may not always be the best way to solve problems, it allows you to identify the contentious issues.

For example, when developers are torn between a native app and a cross-platform mobile development, the project manager would have to weigh the pros of each side and provide direction.

One major cause of issues with software developers is which software testing to employ. While a group may want to complete the application building then embark on the tests later, another faction could be pro Continuous Integration.

As a manager, you should endeavour to mediate with view to encourage concessions from both sides. Similarly, you should identify the scope of your project and stick to the plan. Every program or step of the software development cycle should be outlined in the map to avoid future deviations.

Summary

Keeping together a dedicated software development team has never been a breeze. This is due to the specific issues that arise from a bunch of know-it-alls that are the developers. To surmount these issues, you would have to ensure you develop a great understanding of the processes and functionalities of the application development project.