Working on a Software Team

Slide Deck: Working on a Software Team

The biggest misconception most people have about software developers is that it’s a lonely job, where you sit in a cubicle all day, never talking to anyone, just focused on the dark image of the coding environment on the screen. In reality, an exceptionally large part of a software engineer’s job is communicating with other people in various different ways.

Examples:

• Meeting with customers / stakeholders to discuss requirements
• Demoing a version of the system to stakeholders / investors to get feedback on how to proceed
• Explaining your design ideas to other software engineers
• Giving higher-level presentations to management about the system you are building and how it meets various needs
• Helping junior developers improve their skills
• Reading/writing documentation for code so others can work on the system in the future

Communicating with your team is critical for success, both in this class and in your career. Remember that you are supposed to be working together! Don’t keep each other in the dark! Talk about things that are hindering your progress! Ask for help! Be honest with what you can and cannot do!

But also, for own sake, make sure to moderate your personal investment. No one person should build the entire project. That’s not good for the project, the team, or the person that is taking on all the work. Be considerate!

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