The world of software can easily become a highly lucrative place to live. In just one kind of software development, engineering software, we’re expected to see a market worth of $48 billion by 2022. That kind of growth is being reported in just about every sector, too. People are looking for the digital tools that will help them automate their work, help them interface with one another, and help them run all kinds of data. But to make it in the world of professional software development, you need a particular set of tools beyond the obvious ability to code.
Keep communication open
Software developers, when working in a larger team, tend to be used to the “lone wolf” approach to work. You have your goal, all you need is the time to work your way towards it. When you’re developing software from clients, that is no longer how you’re able to do your work. You have to be able to keep them involved every step of the way. Beyond listening to their problems and coming up with the solutions, you have to communicate timetables and phases, be able to hear their issues and their need for changes at any point. No longer are you always going to be able to get that solo time with just you and the problem. You have the people to contend with, too.
Deliver nothing but quality
Of course, you’re going to have a lot less need to have to deal with those people if you’re able to deliver software to the highest possible quality. For instance, before you even begin to code, you should have planned out every phase and every team member’s duties in those phases. Fully visualizing the development process can help you solve problems before they happen. Software like QASymphony’s test case management tool qTest follows up on the other end, helping you spot the problems you failed to during development. You want the product to be as finished as possible before you deliver it to the client. You should expect them to have feedback, but you want to keep that to a minimum.
Keep it neat
To do that, you should also have the documentation to keep them in the loop in every way they need to be informed. Keep documentation not only on your design and development processes but keep your code clean so that you’re able to head back in and fix any issues much more easily. Make sure that your user manual is laid out in plain speech. You don’t have to assume that the client doesn’t understand jargon, but nor should you make the assumption that they’re able to fully speak the language of a coder. It doesn’t matter how elegant your software is if your user doesn’t know how to use it.
The professional approach is about being able to deliver a truly finished product, to conference effectively with clients on the way to creating it, and it’s about having the elegance in your work to make it easy to understand.
