Software Development is a Team Sport

Developers do not work in a silo and do not do development alone. 

A look at how redefining a common term allows us to use resources in development projects better.

At Acro Commerce, we’ve long used the term developer for anyone who writes code or makes software — sometimes denoting the front or back end. So it was natural to use the term development as the act of creating code or software. A project that is in development would then mean we’re in the process of making code. This has led us to silo developers to do development.

Evolving the definition of development

In reality, development is done by many people, not just those that write code: creative designers, UX designers, front-end developers, DevOps and other project team members. 

In fact, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary doesn’t even mention software [sarcasm]:

Development (noun)
de·​vel·​op·​ment  |  di-ˈve-ləp-mənt  
1: the act, process, or result of developing
     | The development of new ideas
     | An interesting development in the case
2: the state of being developed
     | A project in development
3: a tract of land that has been made available or usable: a developed tract of land
     | especially: one with houses built on it

A better definition using Scrum

Scrum has a more inclusive definition that we embrace: the fact that a team of people develops a solution (or service/product). The Scrum definition of a developer: 

Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint.

Still nothing about software. 

Developers develop as part of a development team

“But… I am a developer! say’s so right on my business card.” 

Well, sure (if you had a business card), it would also say software developer or front-end developer. Don’t worry. We’re not looking to banish the short-hand “developer”, but we want to understand that they (the ones who write code) are part of a team that is responsible for development. 

Ok, that makes sense, but who cares? Why does it matter?

Proper definitions allow for better project estimates

Having a common understanding of the terms “development” and “developer” matters quite a bit.

For example, let’s examine what happens if we are estimating on a “development only” project or ticket and apply the thinking: 

“Well, it's just development [read: making code], so we only need to estimate the time for one developer [read: one who makes code].” 

Generally, during the estimation process, that thinking implies that we only allot time for a software developer to do all of the development, which is very rarely the case.

By using an evolved definition of development where an entire team of developers is responsible for all aspects of the project — which we now know likely includes creative design, UX design, front-end development, DevOps and maybe more, we can ensure that we are allocating the right resources and providing a more accurate estimate of work.

At the end of the day, making sure we have the correct resources assigned to a development project makes for a successful project, which makes our clients happy. And that is the real goal of software development.

Is your company ready to embark on a web development project?

Are you sure you have the right team working with you? If you have any doubts, reach out to our team for a no-strings, no-obligation chat with experts who know how to get the job done right.