Many startup founders have misconceptions about building software.
For example, did you know it takes more than a single developer to build software?
Just like how it takes an entire construction crew to build a house, creating software, especially from scratch, requires a dedicated team of developers, each with a purpose.
It’s not just a single person doing everything, several other professionals work hand-in-hand to deliver a product.
The Truth Behind Software Development
Many believe that a single software developer is enough to build an app for their business, which isn’t necessarily a lie. It’s not entirely true either.
Creating an app, just like every other piece of software, is a complicated process.
Is it possible for one person to build an app? Absolutely. Is it time-efficient and economical? Probably not.
Using the same analogy: if you wanted to hire someone to build your house, who would you trust more? A single person who says they can do everything? Or, would you go with a generated contractor backed by a crew with different specializations?
No offense to the individual who could probably do an excellent job building a house without help but numbers always win.
Software development agencies are the general contractors of the software world.
If you’re a founder, you should know it takes a team of professionals to create software — not just a single person.
The Different Roles in a Software Development Team
1. Software developers
Software developers are the backbones of software development. These programmers use their skills to turn code into tangible and interactable products. They can either specialize in front- or back-end operations. In some cases, exceptionally skilled software developers can do both and are called full-stack developers.
While software developers are wizards, they’re not business analysts nor do they work on the architecture of the software and its security aspects.
Instead, they collaborate with other team members as part of a larger workforce that builds the software.
2. Business analysts
Where software developers focus on the code and building the foundations of the software, the business analysts take care of the bigger picture. They translate business requirements into technical features and specifications that explain the pain points and functionalities stakeholders need and want to see in the resulting software.
What problem/s does the product want to solve? What else can it solve? Does the leadership know what the product can do and what it can’t do? Are there other software that do the same thing?
These are just some of the questions business analysts answer in creating the technical requirements they send to software architects as part of the software development process.
3. Software architects
Software architects choose the frameworks and libraries the software developers will use for the project or what features it should have to achieve the results end users want.
For example, an architect decides whether the software should have microservices or implement multi-tenancy.
In a nutshell, software architects in software development are what building architects are to civil engineers in construction.
Delving further, software architects are more than just experienced developers who oversee what software developers are working on. They envision and design a “blueprint” that software developers use and follow, containing detailed steps and instructions for building software. They may occasionally help resolve conflicts when developers have different opinions about certain designs and implementations.
In terms of hierarchy, software architects are some of the top decision-makers in software projects.
Software architects often work closely together with the lead developers.
4. Lead developers
Lead or senior-level developers are the ones who receive the “blueprints” from the software architects and help with the implementation based on the instructions given.
When it comes to coding, lead developers spend less time writing code. Instead, they create specialized technical tasks and specific steps to execute the architecture defined by the software architects. Typically, this will involve assigning tasks best suited for a particular software developer.
Being able to manage a team, guide struggling developers, help set goals, prioritize tasks, and provide guidance are key qualities for a successful lead developer.
The lead developers also review the code written by the junior-level developers and request changes if necessary.
If it’s the architect’s job to keep every software developer on the same page, lead developers fill that page with the right stuff.
5. DevOps Engineers
DevOps, short for “development operations”, is responsible for bridging communication between the operations team and the software developers. They help set up the hosting environments like Quality Assurance, Staging, and Production while building and deploying the software to the same environments.
In addition, the DevOps Engineers are tasked with automating this process by creating CI/CD pipelines. CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment.
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment are separate processes, but both go hand-in-hand in software development.
In construction, imagine CI as having a dedicated support team for bricklayers. Each team member (developer) works on their section (code branch) and brings it to the central staging area (code repository). This constant cycle guarantees everyone has equal access to the latest materials (codebase). This reduces instances of conflicts later on.
On the other hand, Continuous Delivery (CD) is like having a dedicated conveyor belt or elevator at the construction site. This deployment pipeline takes over every time there’s a new batch of bricks, checking for quality (testing) for quality assurance purposes. The same elevator or conveyor belt then approves the bricks (changes) for transport through other testing floors (staging environments) where they’ll go for further evaluation. After clearing everything, the elevator delivers the final version (release candidate) to the working area (production) where it will be used.
Using this analogy, we can see that the CI/CD pipeline, and in turn, DevOps engineers, are important.
With DevOps engineers overseeing the software development process, developers can automatically push code to certain source control branches, creating a bundle that goes through final approval before it goes live.
6. Project Managers
Project managers watch over all the parts of an in-development project.
Unlike software architects, who are responsible for maintaining a specific vision for the project, a project manager sees the same project to completion.
It takes a lot of people to build software, just like how different individuals work together to build a house.
Who manages who comes in and when they come? Who makes sure all coding work is original and follows the agreed-upon guidelines? In construction, general contractors have their hands on everything. In building software, their equivalent is the project manager.
Project managers are the people who coordinate with the different departments and keep everyone on track to finish the project on time and on budget.
It might sound like project managers aren’t important, but the truth is far from it. A bad project manager can delay a project’s timeline, turning it into a seemingly endless money pit. But, a good project manager will deploy the necessary resources to remove roadblocks and guarantee success.
The Benefits of Hiring a Software Development Agency
In construction, freelancers are your specialized workers. They’re great at what they do. It’s why they can survive working solo — their expertise in a specific area lets them get the job done faster because there are fewer moving parts.
BUT, when building software, there’s often more work involved not less.
Unless you’re already technically proficient in software development but you just don’t have the time, in which case, having a freelancer might help.
For most founders, software development agencies are the best choice. These organizations are made up of people who are good at different areas. They have individuals for specific jobs necessary to complete a project, from business analysts to software architects and DevOps engineers with a project manager coordinating between each department.
The best software development agencies will have a range of dedicated professionals for each step of the creation process.
This is what you’re paying for when you hire a software development agency to make custom software for your company:
- A complete team of professionals who know their specific roles with individual strengths and weaknesses
- Adherence to specific standards and style guidelines
- Track record of meeting timelines
- Demonstrable proof of providing solutions
- Equipped with automated workflows and processes
- Peer-reviewed codes
- Maintainable and sustainable progress
Work with Developer Partners — a Software Development Agency
Developer Partners is a software development agency specializing in full-cycle development. Backed by a solid team of in-house full-stack .NET experts, we provided an extensive range of services, bringing to the table years of experience in the field.
Are you unsure of the kind of custom software your business needs? We provide consultant services. Our proof of concept (POC) solutions help you decide.
For founders who want to keep an in-house team of software developers to maintain their custom-built software, we provide training for employees. We can help your staff become software engineers, regardless of their experience.
Conclusion
If you have software needs, use a software development agency. The core knowledge and business understanding of an established entity is invaluable. With more “brains” working together, the collective experience is hard to quantify. In some cases, someone in the agency might have had experience solving a particular pain point your company might have and you get continuity and consistency.
The best part is that most software development agencies can scale as your business needs grow. Don’t know how to find the best software development agency for your next project? Check out our article on How to Find Top Software Development Agencies to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it more expensive to hire a software development agency?
In construction, general contractors have people supervising the job site. Software development agencies have people doing the same thing. QA testers, lead developers, and software architects, all have some form of oversight on the project. This adds to the overall project cost but you also have access to a more comprehensive range of scalable services built by a team with an established process and a reputation to protect.
So, is it more expensive to hire a software development agency? To be honest, no. More often than not, their services cost less from the start and until the software is delivered.
As an added benefit, working with software development agencies means the development timeline is more predictable, with a structured hierarchy that improves the chances of adherence to agreed-upon standards.
What roles are the most important in a software development agency?
Product development is an extensive process that requires multiple experts working together and on the same page.
Lead developers, business analysts, software architects, DevOps engineers, and software developers contribute the most to proper and trouble-free product development.
Which projects benefit best from a dedicated software development agency?
Nearly every project does. Software development agencies have the resources, manpower, extensive experience, and organizational acumen you and freelancers don’t have. Unless it’s a quick one-off or you’re willing to be heavily involved in the project, hiring a software development agency saves you time and money.
Why should I hire a software development agency?
Aside from better structure and a proven framework for software development, agencies can offer additional services that help streamline the development process and maintain the same quality throughout.
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