7 Key Characteristics of a High-Performing Dedicated Software Development Team

While the idea of your digital transformation is essential, the proper execution of such an idea is not less important. The effectiveness of performance won’t be achieved without a great team. A Dedicated Software Development Team is a group of fully functional team of product owners, business analysts, developers, QA specialists, UX UI designers, and other necessary members that are dedicated to turning your paperwork idea into completely-fledged products.

Building or recruiting a robust dedicated software development team can be the right start to set your company up for success. The high-performing development team will help you deploy the product in a timely manner and meet your requirements.

What is a High-Performing Dedicated Software Development Team?

A high-performing dedicated software development team is a group of tech professionals working cross-functionally for a common business goal. This highly effective outsourcing team is innovative in problem-solving and is known for delivering consistent and superior results. Team members are committed to shared values and vision and collaborate effectively to achieve a common objective.

Main Characteristics Contribute to a High-Performing Dedicated Software Development Team

Forming a dedicated software development team can be a challenge. As the majority of the best team share particular traits, you can find the appropriate dedicated unit that can improve your performance by paying close attention to these aspects.

1. High Level of Professionalism

Obviously, the dedicated software development team should have excellent programming skills and a certain level of proficiency in related technologies. It’s highly recommended that individuals continuously upskill and leverage their knowledge for the project’s innovation. Moreover, they should have time management skills to ensure all projects can meet the deadlines.

The high-performing team should keep up with technology trends and makeup with the required skill sets and tools to improve productivity. For example, a team that combines proven expertise in Scaled Agile and Automation Testing can help accelerate your software development lifecycle while reducing the total ownership costs.

2. Regular and Effective Communication

Communication is one of the primary keys that make a team function work well. Good team discussion not only reduces unnecessary time sinks but also keeps all members on the same page and neutralizes redundancies, disjointed information, and mistakes - all of which can equally impede productivity.

Two categories of communication are necessary for the dedicated software development team: communication inside the team and communication with stakeholders.

• With team members

Teamwork is particularly essential when you engage an external technical team, who may work at different locations and time zones. With the development of several communication tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, etc., it’s now possible to have meetings or work together without being in the same place. 

• With stakeholders

Commonly, in the outsourcing project, Project Manager (PM) is the one who is mostly involved in communication with clients and the dedicated software development team. Thus, the PM needs to ensure that the requirements of clients are well-understood by the team and that the developing process of the team is also shared with stakeholders. 

Learn more: Essential Qualities that Must Have in a Dedicated Software Development Team’s Manager  

3. Apparent Goals and Expectations

According to The State of High-performing Teams report, 59% of employees who know their goals and expectations are likely more productive than those who don’t. Before making any short or long-term plans and giving tasks to the team, it’s essential to ensure that all individuals know what they are working towards.  

Referring to the case study of the leading Australian bank, the dedicated software development team of KMS Solutions needs to understand the project’s objectives at the beginning to have appropriate solutions.

Without clear, concrete goals, employees can fall behind. Not communicating goals effectively doesn’t just hinder dedicated software development teams and individual productivity but can also negatively influence growth at an organizational level.

4. Clear Roles and Responsibilities

A development team may have a limited number of members handling particular tasks. In order to function appropriately, the staff is required to know all the aspects of the process, as well as their primary roles and responsibilities and how those influence the goals of the project. 

Another critical aspect of an effective team is ensuring that all team members share rewards for success. Having incentives for good performance will give these individuals a sense of responsibility and enjoyment of their work.

5. A Cross-functional and Balanced Team

A cross-functional team is a team that, as a whole, covers all the required skills to build a product from scratch or complete the project. Although a clear definition of responsibilities may be some of the top demands for a high-performing dedicated software development team, cross-functional team members should be prepared to help in different aspects of developing software to speed up the project. By doing this, they’re able to achieve the sprint goal in time.

In addition, balance is also a key characteristic. In big development teams, staff should have diverse experience levels. A group of all executives lacking skills and knowledge in a particular methodology may lead to the project’s delay. Meanwhile, a team full of specialists can increase the total hiring costs. Thus, having staff from different levels can prevent slowing down the development process while reducing costs.

6. Apply the Agile Approach

Things change during a technology process. But if you implement the Scaled Agile mindset and framework, you can effortlessly adapt to those continuous changes.

The dedicated software development team that applies the Agile approach can accelerate project delivery speed, reduce risks, assure delivery with the business goals, improve the product’s quality, and reduce IT costs. There’s much more chance of success when the development team works with the Agile framework as it follows the same trust-building tendency, which is highly required in a team.

7. Flexibility and Freedom

Each team member should be free to discuss, find solutions and contribute to the development process for the whole team's success. In a great dedicated software development team, staff has the flexibility to choose tools and technology stacks that help give more efficient work. Employees can determine their own tasks by concentrating more on outcome-based goals instead of the daily work required. As people need some slack to be innovative and creative, a certain degree of flexibility will ensure high motivation and productivity during the development process.

Benefits of Having a High-Performing Development Team

Businesses that concentrate on training their managers and building high-performing teams in the technology domain frequently reap substantial rewards and return on their investments. What makes a good dedicated software development team different from other teams is its benefits to not only the organization but also every individual who contributes to the team’s success.

Benefits for Team Members

Working in a high-performing team means working towards a common objective with shared values, complementary skill-sets and under leadership that fosters clear communication and recognizes and rewards performance. Moreover, members also have the opportunities to be more focused, motivated, and equally treated while working in a great dedicated software development team. It also enhances the sharing of values and a feeling of trust, resulting in greater efficiency and productivity. 

Benefits for Business

For the business, the high-performing dedicated software development team service can bring the following advantages:

• Increased engagement
• Motivated staff who innovate and are willing to take risks
• Ensure on-time delivery of products
• Knowledge and independence with greater flexibility

Companies will require high-performance teams to perform result-driven business operations and tackle specialized projects that call for an effective task force. Through their multipronged communication capabilities and skill sharing, the dedicated software development team can efficiently support process change within the organizations. 

Conclusion

In today's extremely competitive business market, high-performing teams are important to the success and survival of enterprises. But building a qualified technical team is not easy, especially when you're not an expert in such an industry.

With KMS Solutions' high-performing, dedicated software development team, you can build your development team effortlessly through three main steps: Initiation, Execution, And operation. By outsourcing to a dedicated software development team service provider such as KMS Solutions, you can have your "dream team" that is effectively tailored for your business team size and specific requirements.