From project management tools, chat apps, all the way to major software solutions for entire business departments, software development has become an integral part of overall business growth.
Deemed one of the most promising and lucrative fields, software development has attracted newcomers as well as well-known brands to try their hand at the practice, so the industry is rapidly growing. Add to that, there are more and more dedicated development courses for aspiring developers and engineers, making it more competitive both for employees and for brands to succeed.
To gain more relevance and grow, companies in software development constantly work on elevating team productivity , but they need to do so from many different perspectives. It’s not enough to merely pile on more work for your teams or to add more people to your organization. Now, to help track your progress, spot opportunities for improvement, and actually, boost effectiveness, use the listed ideas to your advantage.
1. Define and assign specific goals and milestones
Goal setting is far from a new concept, and one that most software developers are familiar with quite well. However, what most businesses fail to do is adapt when they notice that they are unable to reach specific milestones, so they stick to the same impossible goals and work overtime, instead of adapting their resources and their abilities.
It’s vital to clarify all business-level goals for your software developers – it will help them come up with smarter, better-aligned solutions. Beyond that, you need to divide and conquer, which means that you also need to clearly define smaller, everyday milestones for employees so that they can realistically evaluate if they can accomplish them and what resources they need to do so.
2. Use PM tools to manage workload
Once you have clearly defined goals for all your developers and they know what milestones they need to aim for in order to accomplish those goals, you need to organize all the workload. The only way to do that efficiently and preserve the developers’ effectiveness is the use of project management tools to allocate work, track progress, and automate certain processes.
- Use PM features to enable real-time collaboration via the cloud.
- Encourage your teams to automate reminders and alerts to stay on track.
- Use built-in analytics tools to collate performance-related data and resolve bottlenecks.
- Create actionable reports to prevent issues in future projects.
- Use the available chat and other communication channels to promote real-time collaboration.
3. Provide regular training and education
Software developers heavily depend on your cloud environment, the available applications, and all the features that you can leverage via the cloud both for remote work and your in-office developers. To ensure elevated efficiency, you need to focus on improving the management of your cloud environment, which often means providing specialized training for your staff.
A large portion of the developed world uses Microsoft, their cloud solutions, as well as their systems and applications to produce superb software. Make sure that your developers regularly obtain Microsoft training to learn the latest methods in cloud management and accompanying features. Cloud maintenance should be going smoothly from that cybersecurity perspective, as well, so that your teams can safely and effectively work on their tasks.
4. Encourage wellness to avoid burnout
The pandemic has taught us a bunch of very valuable lessons, one of them being the need to focus on our health above all else. The result is that companies now understand a little better that processes such as software development aren’t really only about software development. They also depend on how exhausted your employees are, how secure they feel in their jobs, how well they communicate with their team members, and how much time they have to devote to self-care.
- Inspire employees to take up fitness activities they like.
- Encourage people to leave work early when they wrap up their tasks early, as opposed to staying late.
- Offer healthy meals at the office as well as healthy snacks.
- Make sure they take regular breaks – it’s good for the brain.
- Organize feedback sessions to ask them about their views and to find ways to improve as a team. Everyone’s voice should be valued, and feedback sessions help accomplish that.
5. Eliminate distractions for your teams
Software developers use a wide array of tools, some of which we’ve listed here, as well. They are used to getting pings, notifications, alerts, and all kinds of distractions that are a normal part of the development process. Aside from those, you’ll find your teams are preoccupied with other, less relevant things, such as social media, music, or simply the noise from the construction site from across the road.
Let your feedback cycle reveal what kinds of distractions your teams are dealing with that are disrupting their time management abilities and leading to less productivity. Maybe some of them need noise-canceling headphones, while others could use an app to limit their social media time. Talk it over and find mutually beneficial solutions that suit everyone.
Sometimes even the smallest changes in how you run your organization can make all the difference in the results you’re then able to obtain. From changing how you organize your tasks and work assignments, all the way to regulating team-wide communication and feedback, it’s essential to keep your eyes peeled for opportunities that will change your team dynamics for the better.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you believe your team is perfect and all external factors are responsible for your lack of results. Once you embrace the responsibility of elevating your team’s effectiveness, all kinds of doors will open, and these and other tips will come in handy.
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