When it comes to putting together a great development team, it’s important to think through each of the roles that you’ll need. It’s common for leaders to think that they just need a manager and then a team of developers, but the reality is that compiling a team of talented individuals, each with a specialized role, leads to the most successful outcomes. 

While the exact makeup of each team will change from project to project, there are a few key roles that you’ll always want to consider. In fact, it’s helpful to have team members available to fill each of these team roles, even if they’re not needed on every project. This ensures that you have all the pieces you need to consistently create great development teams that produce quality products and lead to successful outcomes. 

Business Analyst 

The business analyst is the team member that looks at the business’s needs and then drives development to meet those needs. This role is important in making sure that the finished product effectively meets the business’s needs and that it does what the client wants it to do.

It’s the business analyst’s role to take the client’s needs and turn them into requirements that developers can work with. Think of them as a translator between executives and developers. As a result, it’s key for this individual to be involved in a project from the start. They’ll play a crucial role in foundational stages and will also serve as an important link between the business side of a project and the development team. 

A great business analyst is able to communicate effectively and think creatively. Additionally, they should be data-oriented and able to write requirements that will guide the project. 

Product Manager 

As you can probably tell from the title, the product manager is the individual that will lead the development team. The product manager’s primary goal is to deliver the best value possible and to ensure that the product created meets all of the client’s goals. 

To effectively do this, a product manager needs to thoroughly understand: 

• The complete scope of the project
• Who the users will be and what their expectations are 
• All requirements and expectations from the client 

Once a project is underway, the product manager is responsible for delegating tasks, planning the workflow, and coordinating team members. The best managers are analytical, detail-oriented, creative, and flexible. In addition, they’re up to date on current industry trends and able to effectively communicate with a variety of different individuals. 

Software Developers

It’s the software developers that most people think of when they think about development teams and for good reason. These individuals are the lifeblood of the team as they’re responsible for coding the software. 

As you build your team of software developers, keep in mind that the best teams have individuals of varying experience levels. You certainly want some senior developers; however, all projects have plenty of routine tasks that can be effectively done by junior developers. The reality is that a combination of junior, middle, and senior developers creates a good combination and ensures that all coding needs are met. 

When hiring developers, look for individuals that are able and interested in teaching themselves, self-motivated, creative problem solvers, and good time managers as well as possessing the requisite coding skills to accomplish your needed tasks.

User Interface and User Experience Designers

These are roles that are easy to overlook, but they’re both important for ensuring that you get the finished product that you want. User interface and user experience designers work to make sure that software is functional. As the names suggest, they’re focused on how users will interact with the software. 

These individuals are singularly focused on making sure that the product is easy to use, easy to engage with, and easy to understand. The best UI and UX designers are detail-oriented, responsive, and have the skills necessary to identify issues.  

Quality Assurance Engineer 

Finally, it’s important to have a QA engineer on your team. Their role is to look at the big picture, making sure everything is efficient while meeting the business’s needs. This individual will dig into the development process and try to find ways to improve it. They’re an overall quality check for the process, helping to ensure that development teams meet and exceed expectations. 

Successful QA engineers are perfectionists and detail-oriented. In addition, they need to have the skills to plan for, conduct, and analyze test cases to evaluate the software. 

Let Us Help Build Your Ideal Development Team 

Having the right roles on your development teams is one of the keys to a successful project, but unfortunately, it’s often a step that too many companies overlook. At Upstack, we have developers ready to staff all of the roles of your next project.  

Contact us today to start building your dream development team. 

Great news! We match words with deeds - and the truth is that... We can connect you with the top 1% developers in the world! Let's do some magic together! Contact us NOW!