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Good software development teams don’t fall from trees.
Still, when tech startups plan to build their next big product, they tend to envision a self-managed technical team wholeheartedly dedicated to their work.
In reality, building a successful development team is often not as easy as it seems. What differentiates a good software developer from a great one is when team members have confidence in achieving common goals.
In fact, most development projects fail early due to a lack of collective and individual confidence in the project's success. As much as 78% of IT professionals feel out of sync with project requirements.
In this article, you’ll be introduced to surefire strategies and best practices for building a successful software development team, from finding the right people to project management techniques. Stay tuned!
What Is a Software Development Team?
Software development teams work together to build a technical project or product. Every person on the development team plays a part in making this happen and should be held accountable for their work.
Most importantly, software development teams should be self-organizing and cross-functional. Structured and efficient work at an individual level optimizes the overall effectiveness of the development team.
At the same time, team members must make a collaborative effort when it comes to communicating and implementing shared responsibilities.
To achieve this synergy of team structure and empowerment,it is crucial that development teams have the following characteristics in mind:
- The team is naturally self-organizing where productivity depends on collective contributions.
- Teams are well-equipped and cross-functional; they possess all the team skills necessary to advance the product across all development stages.
- Although individual members on the development team may have specialized skills and domains of focus, accountability belongs to the software development team as a whole.
In terms of software engineering team culture, successful development teams have team members who:
- Leave the codebase cleaner than how they found it
- Know and share the interests of their customer
- Rather than directly criticizing people, they criticize their ideas
- Share past and present experiences to offer new team insights
- Have fun with each other and trust each other
What Are the Roles and Responsibilities in a Software Development Team?
It is critical that software development teams clearly define their collective roles and responsibilities to allow for effective development.
Below are the most essential business and technology-centered roles and responsibilities for any typical software development team.
Business Unit Manager
A business unit manager is a task manager of sorts. Their job is to make sure goals are being met and contribute to the company's success in the long term. Some of their responsibilities include:
- initiating the project
- providing a clear project/product vision and strategic plan
- signing off-key milestones
Product Manager
Though smaller business teams may have the business manager act as a product manager, it’s important to distinguish their roles and responsibilities.
A product manager is responsible for overseeing the success of a specific product, rather than the business as a whole. Key responsibilities of a product manager entail:
- translating the business unit manager’s project vision into a roadmap
- developing and defining the criteria and features of the product
Business Analyst
Business analysts work as liaisons between the technical and business side of development. They use data to improve processes and generate reports.
Product managers and business analysts work together to further refine and define product features along with a technical lead to ensure they are prepared for development.
Business analysts may:
- clarify product features
- resolve queries between the technical lead and product manager
- ensure developers aren’t disrupted by business fluff
Project Manager
Project managers reflect business managers but on the technical end. They make sure that the software development team completes their project on time and on budget.
To accomplish this, they are in charge of:
- scheduling, hosting, and documenting any relevant meetings.
- securing the software development team with the necessary resources to deliver their project
- monitoring the performance of the software development team and making helpful suggestions
Technical Lead
A technical lead acts in conjunction with the software development team, providing the corresponding project manager and business analyst with a key point of contact.
They serve as a moderator between business management and software development and supervise the technical direction of the company.
Their role involves:
- taking responsibility for the entire technical project
- implementing the coding standards and procedures that work best
- detailing the structure of the project and meeting requirements
Developer
Developers make up the bare meat of the software development team.
Given that developers’ performance has a critical impact on product development and deployment, their time is spent wisely doing the following:
- developing and deploying features
- updating the technical lead and project manager with project reports
UI/ UX Designer
These designers will be thoroughly involved from start to finish. To be clear, user experience (UX) designers work on the behavior of a software product while user interface (UI) designers handle the graphic design or layout of the product.
They are responsible for:
- cooperating with the product manager to create a viable user experience that meets requirements
- supporting the software development team throughout the build process
Quality Assurance / Product Tester
Simply put, a quality assurance tester can make or break a product solely based on their understanding of feature requirements and resulting feedback.
Those in this position have the final say on whether or not project/product features are up to par.
Key responsibilities include:
- certifying that developers meet the criteria and conditions defined in the requirements.
- actively engaging with the development team and guiding them through the quality assurance process
4 Things To Look For When Building a Software Development Team
Choosing the right software development team can easily be one of the most important decisions that you will make while running your business.
Ultimately, the team you assemble will determine your business’s success or failure.
Assembling the right software development team means more than having employees that will collaborate and develop your project. In choosing the right team members, you are choosing the business partners who will bring your vision to life.
Make sure you understand the roles for the software development team that you are hiring for. Who will be managing the team? How many developers will you have?
Remember, software development and collaboration can last from a few months to several years, so it is crucial that the team you build is the right fit for both the project and your business.
The following tips will lead you in the right direction when hiring for your software development team.
1. Critical Thinkers
Ideally, you want to select a software development team that is able to provide you with the best solution and the optimal way to reach it.
Sometimes this means your team disagrees with your initial ideas. But saying ‘no’ can be more powerful than agreeing to everything. It demonstrates a readiness to find the best possible solution rather than blindly follow the instructions.
2. Domain Expertise
Every software development project is a complex process that involves more than just writing code. Your software development team should be able to simultaneously meet business needs while keeping the final user in mind.
Look for experts with solid professional backgrounds that can bring their knowledge to the table when it matters most.
3. Previous Projects
Prior projects that potential team members have executed are an indicator of the quality of their work. You can see what kind of clients they worked with and how they managed to meet the project requirements to solve the given problem.
Don't forget to check the references of your potential partners. Experienced IT companies are happy to provide you with case studies, overviews of implemented projects, and all the necessary information that can help you make a decision.
4. Sensible Pricing
High-quality work comes at a price and going for the cheapest offer doesn’t always pan out. Sometimes cheap work simply means low quality.:
Poor communication, lack of experience, poorly written code, lack of tests, and bad documentation describe some of the problems you could experience if you simply fall for the cheapest price.
Custom software development projects are more expensive than off-the-shelf software solutions, but the benefits they create are worth the price tag.
10 Steps for Building and Managing a Successful Software Development Team
Running a successful software development team requires taking an active part in any and all efforts that are imperative to building and managing that success.
1. Take Control of the Hiring Process
If you take ownership of the hiring process, you can ensure that you target the right candidates to apply for the role.
Below are some recommended sub-steps that streamline the initial stages of building a software development team.
Define the job, notthe skills for the job.
By describing the job as a series of performance objectives rather than a long-winded list of field-specific skills and experiences, you maximize the likelihood of tapping into a larger talent pool.
When hiring, outline four to five objectives or tasks that can be measured within the prospective candidate’s domain of expertise. Use them as the centerpiece of your job posting/recruitment scheme.
Publish listings that alienate passive candidates.
Start the post by adding a compelling tagline to your title that captures the ideal candidate’s professional interests.
If the given candidate is interested, have them submit a two-paragraph write-up delineating what he or she has accomplished in terms of past project work and experience.
This method will narrow down your applicants from those who are simply interested in candidates who are genuinely qualified.
Related read: Back-End Developer Job Description
2. Hire People Who Are Passionate About Their Work
Find developers that code their own personal projects and have passion projects just for fun!
For example, Google implemented a 20% policy that allows software employees to spend 20% of their time working on personal projects and ideas. According to business reports, the policy increased employee energy and enthusiasm.
3. Evaluate and Cultivate Soft Skills
Believe it or not, it is usually soft skills in turn for technical skills that define the success of your software development team. A well-developed project requires more than just programming, but a communicative and respectful team.
During the hiring process, you should look out for soft skills and a cultural fit. Emotional intelligence is key to a collaborative project. True cohesion is built on relatability and communication.
Foster cross-silo collaboration.
Cross-functional project-oriented teams have grown more important for businesses that want to distinguish themselves and stay competitive – especially in the technology sector.
Recruiters often look for candidates who are suited for collaborative teamwork. They also want people who aren’t afraid to introduce a second opinion or shake up project teams.
Prioritize social skills and communication.
It’s easy to place too much focus on technical output at the cost of team-building and communication when managing a software development team.
Establish a clear priority for your team that empathy and emotional intelligence are just as essential as delivering high-quality work.
To do this you should:
- Create opportunities for peer learning and teaching
- Recognize distinct personality types amongst the team, and learn to work with their strengths and weaknesses
- Make time for conversation!
4. Provide Tools and a Good Work Environment for Your Team
Cross-functional and collaborative teams come secondary to you providing the tools and environment to enrich your teams towards that goal.
While your software development team is responsible for utilizing their soft skills in the workspace, you’re responsible for making the workspace comfortable in the first place.
Neglecting the livelihood and mental health of your software development team could lead to rampant burnout and high amounts of stress.
Extend tools and resources to your team — whether that be the technology to help them grow further and faster without frustration or mental health references.
5. Listen Actively and Communicate Proactively
Communication goes both ways. As a business manager, it’s essential that you actively listen to your software development team to understand the ongoing status of the project.
Ask questions such as:
- What did you work on?
- Did it come together as you expected? Why or why not?
- What can be improved?
In addition, communicate proactively and check in on individuals and teams without being asked. By establishing genuine interest in each person and division of the team, you’ll establish meaningful relationships.
6. Make an Effort To Improve Team Communication
Sometimes communication isn’t as easy as just asking a couple of questions. When that’s the case, there are still several steps you can take to promote fluid communication with your software development team.
- Define roles and goals from the beginning
Oftentimes, miscommunication stems from an unclear understanding of roles and responsibilities. Each agile project should have a clear kick-off with roles and goals clearly and comprehensively defined.
- During kick-off, you must discuss what the various roles will be and their expectations
There should be an escalation overview that highlights how to identify and resolve problems when they arise. The kick-off serves as a foundation of guidance for the team, but it should not be rigid or set in stone to a point where the team can’t improvise.
- Encourage questions
Encourage the team to ask questions. Never dismiss a question or make someone feel inadequate for asking.
Questions lead to important clarifications, discoveries, and many times, process improvements that the team wouldn’t have recognized before.
- Make mistakes
For people who haven’t gotten their feet wet in agile before, mistakes are inevitable and are a core part of the learning process. Mistakes should be encouraged and openly discussed, especially at the beginning of a project.
How a team manages mistakes can affect a team’s momentum and camaraderie.
- Host retrospective meetings
Via roundtable meetings, the team can focus on what went right and what went wrong in a productive and non-occupational manner.
This fosters a more transparent communication style.
- Give feedback
Establish a clear channel of feedback and check in on each and every member of the team regarding their feelings and logistical input on major changes/existing circumstances.
Creating a transparent model of feedback with the team places everyone on the same playing field for further improvement.
7. Avoid Burnout
Don’t force teams to produce results beyond their capacity. And don’t dump multiple projects on your team to juggle all at once.
This will inevitably lead to burnout, especially if you’re taking on a single long-term product/project.
As mentioned, it’s important to provide resources to your team and prioritize their mental health just as much as their technical abilities, A happy developer is a good developer.
8. Don't Add Extra Manpower for a Quick Fix
Do not add extraneous development team members in an attempt to speed up the development process.
Adding extra people will counterintuitively delay the project by dividing work into too many small parts. If you deem it necessary to add more team members, gradually recruit more individuals one or two at a time and evaluate results accordingly.
9. Create Software That People Love and Enjoy
Regardless of the technical and business requirements, if users love your software, team members will have that extra motivation to keep improving it.
10. Consider Hiring Remotely
Although many traditional employers would taunt the idea of transitioning to remote work, remote outsourcing has key advantages including:
- Heightened productivity
- Businesses save money in the process
- Workers avoid the stress of commuting
- Employees save money
- Access to global talent
- Reduced employee turnover
Conclusion
With the ever-modernizing demands of software and product development, building the right software development team has never been more important.
Using the steps above with a carefully hired software development team of technical professionals, you can accelerate your projects and maximize productivity in the process.
Trio is your software development partner, not an outsourcing vendor.
We offer small and medium companies competent software developers on-demand.
Trio offers unparalleled software wisdom and access to South American developers. Meet our elite Argentinean developers, Chilean developers, and Brazilian developers for outsourcing excellence.
If you are looking to expand your software development team, contact us to discuss your project and find the best match among our engineers.
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C is a general-purpose programming language, meaning it can be used for a wide variety of purposes from building operating systems to computer applications. The language also supports a number of features and paradigms including structured programming, lexical variable scope, and recursion.
Structured programming is a programming paradigm that favors one, singular structure per program. In this way, code executes instruction by instruction chronologically.
With structured programming, alternatively called modular programming, code is readable and there is leeway for reusable components, which most developers find helpful.
Lexical scoping refers to the semantic scope of variable names in a function or program. In other words, lexical variable scope answers the questions of whether a given variable has meaning outside of the function it is written in – and this is determined by the surrounding code.
In recursive programming, functions have the ability to call on themselves, whether directly or indirectly. The utility of this feature is to break up a problem into smaller problems. Specifically, coders can use a previously established value to compute a new one.
The C programming language uses a static type system as well. Within the context of programming languages, static type systems involve static type checking where the language checks your code before it is even compiled.
The main advantage of static typing is early error detection. This can help to reduce the time spent debugging later on.
As far as background, C was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972. Its initial purpose was to write operating systems. Low-level access to memory, the use of simple keywords, and a clean syntax makes C easy to use for such a task.
Overall, C is one of the optimal programming languages when it comes to systems programming.
Systems programming is programming where developers build integral software systems that other applications rely on. These systems include firmware, operating systems, and development environments.
C flourishes in this undertaking because it is a middle-level language. Low-level languages like assembly language talk to computers in the most direct format that you can imagine. The downside of this is that humans struggle to keep up with the conversation.
This is why there are high-level languages. High-level languages abstract machine code to where human developers can talk to computers on their own terms. Most coders have found this to be the most efficient way of writing programs.
However, C is a combination of both. It is a middle-level language and as such developers can use it for low-level programming like building kernels and drivers as well as high-level programming like developing software applications.
What Is a C developer?
C developers are closely familiar with the fundamentals of systems programming. They develop code that integrates into base computer systems. Embedded systems, operating systems, and kernel modules all rely on systems programmers like C developers.
C++ is nearly a superset of C. Save a few minor details, the two languages are very similar. Expert C developers may learn C++ as well to increase their effectiveness.
Other languages in the repertoire of C developers might be higher-level languages and frameworks that work well with C like Java, Node.js, and Python.
As systems programmers, C developers have strong problem-solving skills and use structural programming to write clean, reusable code.
Why Use C?
The first and foremost justification for using C would be if you wanted to build an operating system. After all, in the 1970s, C was the vessel in which UNIX was re-designed. But despite the goal-oriented origins of the C language, various elements of its development make it a fitting language to use for an array of needs.
Middle-level
There are only a handful of middle-level languages. And if you were to pick them out, you’d probably come up with Java and C++ in addition to C, and there’s even some dissent there.
Either way, the general consensus is that C is a middle-level language. Because of this, C is one of the best languages for building both systems and applications. Therefore its usage is by definition flexible.
Structured
As a programming paradigm, structured programming allows developers to make complex programs by compartmentalizing their codes into simpler structures via task-oriented functions. Some examples of structural programming in action are if-else statements and for-loops.
Though many languages make use of this type of programming, C may very well be the oldest structural programming language that still maintains its popularity. This is because C is reliable.
Portable
Portability describes how compatible certain computer programming languages are in diverse environments. In the case of C, the language plays a major part in Windows, UNIX, and Linux operating systems, demonstrating its portable nature.
General
C is general-purpose. In effect, no matter what you want to develop, C is there for you – for games, graphics, applications, and more.
Advantages of Using C
C is equipped with a number of supportive features to develop keeping high-level functionality in mind. As the intent of C was to develop operating systems, its features must be fully comprehensive and performant.
Case-Sensitive
C is case sensitive. Lowercase and uppercase letters are differentiated. This can make certain elements of coding far less confusing and more direct. It’s also easier to parse through case-sensitive code.
Dynamic Library
The library C offers is rich with built-in features and is furnished with dynamic memory allocation. What’s more, C has much less library functions than other languages but just as many functions, simplifying their deployment.
Keyword Simplicity
In computer programming, keywords are the smallest building blocks of programming that work as gateways to writing complex code.
Keywords like if, else, and return may be familiar to you. The C language only has 32 keywords, overall only a small number to remember and eventually master.
Embedded Usage
C is the go-to language for developing embedded systems, Embedded systems contain hardware and/or software designed for specific functions. Digital cameras and robots are good examples of embedded systems.
Developers use C for embedded systems because it is flexible. The high-level abstraction of C combined with its low-level alliances make it a great language for this sort of development.
Companies That Use C
- IBM
- Nokia
- Samsung
- VMWare
- Huawei
- Microsoft Windows
Reasons to Hire a C Developer
It’s fairly common for businesses to go the mobile app route in contemporary software development. They’ll cross out a couple of months on their calendar, get a grasp of Java or Swift – for Android or Apple respectively – and be on their way.
App development is an accomplishment no matter how you do it. But when things become commonplace and you follow the lead of your competitors, it becomes difficult for your business to stand out.
If you wish to stay competitive, your business needs to be challenged. Rather than putting an app on the app store, why not develop an entire software.
Adobe, most Google applications, and the entire Linux operating system was built with C. These are software systems that have topped the technology sector and have garnered worldwide familiarity and usage.
Most popular C programs aren’t simply apps, they’re relevant components of daily work and life for millions of users. Depending on the developers you hire, you’ll have the resources you need to do the same.
It starts with a good idea, and the right developers to manifest it. Hire a C developer.
Hire a C Developer
C is well over 30 years old. With languages being built every other fortnight, it’s hard to keep up with the competition. But somehow C has managed all the while.
Of course, old age does come with consequences. The market favors young people who favor young languages. This doesn’t make C less trustworthy or useful, but it is a little tougher to find the professionals you’ll need to program in C.
Trust the process, trust your research. Trio also has resources to help you. Take a look.
How do you hire a C developer?
For those who wish to take the high road and hire C developers on your own, we’re still here to help.
Hiring a developer on your own is a very focused and hands-on process that requires considerable knowledge about software development in general.
The last thing you want to do is trust your hiring process to someone with no technical ability. If you are a non-technical manager looking to learn a thing or two, we have a great resource here for you to learn more about the hiring process in detail.
Otherwise, we’d recommend you contact Trio for consulting and developer allocation.
What should you look for in a C developer?
C developers at a high-level should demonstrate the following skills:
- Proficiency in C and preferably in C++ as well
- Knowledge of high-level languages that are often integrated with C such as Java, Python, Go, or Node.js
- Abstract critical thinking and problem-solving aptitude
- Ability to write and implement algorithms and data structures
How much do developers cost in the U.S.?
ZipRecruiter data reports that the average yearly salary of a C developer is $117,673 On the higher end, C developers can make as much as $155,500 per year. But C developers can also make as little as $67,500 annually.
How much do developers cost in South America?
Due to economic differences between the United States and South America as a whole, the cost of offshoring software development is significantly lower than hiring full-time with U.S talent. For Senior C Developers in South America, the average salary is currently around $100,000 whereas a mid-level developer costs around $76,000.
How much do developers cost in Ukraine / Eastern Europe?
Eastern Europe shares very similar rates to South America, again due to the economic differences. When looking at salaries in Eastern Europe, data shows that a Senior C Developer costs around $100,000 on average.
Hourly Rates for Developers
Another way to look at developer costs is through hourly rates. While salaries are good to understand for hiring developers for full-time and long-term, you might just need a developer for a period of 3-6 months or 6-12 months. In these types of situations, it’s best to calculate your costs based on the hourly rates of a developer.
Below is a table that lists the various hourly rates of developers in different locations based on their job title.
Why Hire a C Developer?
Trio C developers are pre-vetted, interviewed, and then trained further to become true software professionals, capable of adapting to situations that are both within and outside of the scope of their general expertise.
At Trio, we hold our developers to a higher standard. Much like how elite special forces units recruit only the best from main branches of the military, we recruit developers who either show amazing potential or demonstrate exceptional skill. We then take their talents and sharpen them even further.
Another benefit of hiring a Trio developer is that you won’t incur the costs of hiring, which can add up to be around 30% of a developer’s salary on average, as well as overhead costs associated with full-time employment.
By working with Trio, you can enjoy a highly experienced full-time developer for a fraction of the cost, along with the added project management assistance.
To learn more, tell us about your project and we’ll get you started.
C Resources
Introduction
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of hiring a Flutter Developer? Perhaps this particular technology is not your area of expertise and are you are unsure how to structure your hiring process. Fear not, as we are here to help you navigate this process and find a skilled Software Engineer who can add value to your business.
By leveraging our expertise in hiring high-level developers, we can help you evaluate technical talent and strengthening your engineering team. With our guidance and support, you can confidently conduct a hiring process with Flutter Developers and enhance the performance of your Engineering Team.
We would like to thank you for taking the time to visit us today. We hope that you will find the information provided to be both helpful and informative. Please stay with us and read on as we share some valuable tips that we believe you will find useful in your daily life.
What’s a Flutter Developer?
A Flutter developer is a software engineer who has proficiency with the Flutter framework to develop mobile, web, and desktop applications. By association, Flutter developers have fluency in writing code using the Dart programming language and are therefore Dart developers as well.
Flutter developers can be web or mobile app developers. As such, they may have prior experience and expertise in other frameworks and languages like JavaScript or Ionic. Some Flutter developers may only be familiar with Flutter.
The Flutter framework is intentionally and wholeheartedly tied to UI design. Widgets are one of its defining characteristics. They must have comparable skill in optimizing graphical interactions for the user.
The role of this type of developer is crucial in the software development industry. The responsibilities of a Flutter developer may vary depending on the project requirements, but some common tasks include:
- Developing and maintaining applications;
- Developing and implementing custom widgets and UI components;
- Integrating third-party libraries and APIs;
- Ensuring the application's performance, quality, and responsiveness;
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including designers, product managers, and other developers;
- Participating in the development process from design to deployment and maintenance.
- Working with cross-platform frameworks.
- Debug and test Flutter code, using tools such as the Flutter DevTools, unit testing, and integration testing.
- Use version control tools such as Git, SVN, or Mercurial to manage their codebase.
What you can build using Flutter
Flutter is a versatile and powerful framework for building mobile applications for Android, iOS, and other platforms. With Flutter, developers can build a wide range of applications, including but not limited to:
- Social media applications: Flutter is a versatile platform for building social media apps that can include a range of features, such as instant messaging, push notifications, and media sharing capabilities.
- Business applications: Flutter is a great option for creating business apps that require robust functionality, such as CRM, inventory management, and project management tools.
- E-commerce applications: Flutter is a great option for creating e-commerce apps that offer features such as a product catalog, shopping cart, payment gateway integration, and more.
- Educational applications: Flutter enables developers to create educational applications such as e-learning platforms, online courses, and interactive learning tools, all while providing a user-friendly experience.
- Gaming applications: Flutter is also capable of building games with 2D and 3D graphics, animations, sound effects, and other exciting features.
In general, Flutter offers developers the versatility and features to create a variety of mobile apps for various industries and purposes.
Companies that use Flutter
- The New York Times
- Square
- eBay
- BMW
- Alibaba
Which are the soft skills a Flutter Developer should have?
As you need to hire a Developer who can perfectly unfold within your team and company taking into account just technical skills would not be enough, and this is when soft skills play a big role. So now let’s dive into some basic soft skills good developers should have.
Some essential soft skills for a Flutter Developer should include:
- Communication: Being able to communicate effectively, especially in remote and asynchronous environments, is a real necessity for any professional nowadays. Communication skills are always in high demand, whether it's through describing ideas, discussing approaches, giving presentations, providing status updates, giving feedback, asking questions, or voicing concerns. The ability to communicate ideas clearly and to understand communicated ideas is of critical importance to ensure a well-aligned, agile team.
- Team Work: Individuals should demonstrate adaptability to various projects and environments. However, it is extremely important for them to value working within a team that allows for easy navigation, knowledge sharing, idea contribution, and learning from other team members. They should also be able to provide and receive feedback, pass on information, ask questions, and offer help when needed.
- Collaboration: Every project involves multiple people, and team members must be able to work with one another effectively. Collaboration is the combination of all of the above qualities in order to effect positive change and move the project and company forward.
- Adaptability: The ability to adapt to new circumstances, situations, scenarios, and environments is vital for professionals to cope with changes, challenges, fast-paced environments, uncertainty, and lack of predictability. It enables them to be more creative and resilient, providing solutions and new strategies whenever any shifts occur.
Hiring Process for a Flutter Developer
To hire technical talent who is the best fit for your company and project, you should ensure that your hiring process is aligned with your needs. This will provide you with useful and valuable information to help you make an informed decision before extending an offer letter to a developer.
We have listed below some steps that can be implemented in your hiring process to help you ace it and bring on board the right developer for your business.
Main Steps in the Hiring Process
Job Description
A great process starts with a well-written job description. It should contain important information, such as a brief description of the company and project, the main responsibilities of the professional, the seniority needed for the role, technical requirements, desired soft skills, salary, and perks.
An appealing and accurate job description can better attract targeted candidates, providing you with a more qualified list of applicants. It's important to remember that you don't want to get attention of all software engineers available in the market, but rather the ones that are aligned with your company's culture and the specific role.
Sourcing
Unlike other fields, the technical industry has its own unique challenges when it comes to attracting candidates. Simply posting job openings on job boards may not be sufficient to generate a substantial pool of qualified applicants. Therefore, it is important to proactively source candidates from a variety of channels, rather than solely relying on applicants to respond to job postings. Some of the sources that tech recruiters use to find candidates include GitHub, GitLab, LinkedIn, Telegram, Discord servers, and consultancy companies.
To use some of the aforementioned platforms, your team should know how to apply Boolean search to filter only candidates that align with your vacancy.
Screening
After gathering a sufficient number of applicants, you will begin screening candidates to determine their suitability for the position. During this part of the process, you may review resumes, portfolios, cover letters, and repositories to ensure that you only got to candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role.
Among the relevant skillset for the vacancy, recruiters and hiring managers typically look for experiences, seniority, certifications, fluency in some specific language, educational background, certain projects or business, main technologies used, location and candidates’ salary expectations.
Screening can be done manually, through a specific platform or an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Choosing the best option for your needs will depend on the company's budget. A robust ATS with integrations with other tools and the ability to filter candidates by their expertise is ideal because it saves a lot of time and resources.
Interview
This is one of the most important steps of the hiring process for developers. It’ll allow you to fully understand if the talent is really aligned to the company and project. A good interview can extract valuable information from candidates that will make it possible for you to decide whether they will continue in the process or not. For that, it’s essential to have good questions to gather answers regarding technical and soft skills.
During an interview, you can ask various types of questions, such as behavioral, situational, competency-based, fact-based, skill-based, and technical questions, among others.
It’s also important that you present the company to the candidate, letting them know more about your culture, working environment, way of working and anything else that defines your company.
Technical Validation
After making sure the developers align to the skillset the role requires, you will need to check their technical abilities to ensure it meets the project’s expectations. Knowing exactly what’s the technical level that the candidates should have can help you design the type of technical validation that best adapts to your needs.
To technically validate candidates you can use technical interviews, technical tests/assessments, pair programming, project executions, live coding, work portfolio/GitHub reviews and team interviews, among others.
If you don't feel prepared to conduct technical interviews with developers because you're unsure of what questions to ask or how to evaluate their answers, you can try Genie, Trio's AI-powered interview question generator.
Hire a Flutter Developer with Trio
Trio Flutter developers are pre-vetted, interviewed, and then trained further to become true software professionals, capable of adapting to situations that are both within and outside of the scope of their general expertise.
At Trio, we hold our developers to a higher standard. Much like how elite special forces units recruit only the best from main branches of the military, we recruit developers who either show amazing potential or demonstrate exceptional skill.
We offer flexibility in terms of project requirements and team size adjusting it according to the project's needs. This allows our partners to scale up their project requirements as needed.
Moreover, we are committed to delivering high-quality apps within a reasonable time frame, with a proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget without compromising on quality. A Trio developer is that you won’t incur the costs of hiring, which can add up to be around 30% of a developer’s salary on average, as well as overhead costs associated with full-time employment. All in all, by working with Trio, you can enjoy a highly experienced full-time developer for a fraction of the cost, along with the added project management assistance.
Last but not least, we value excellent communication and support throughout the project's life cycle. This ensures that our partners’ requirements are understood, and the project is delivered as per their expectations.
How much do flutter developers cost?
The cost of hiring a Flutter Developer can vary depending on the size of the company, their budget and also the seniority of the role. It is advisable to ask candidates about their salary expectations and compare them to your own budget. This helps to avoid putting candidates through the entire hiring process only to find out you cannot meet their expectations. It is important to be transparent throughout the hiring process.
It is also essential to consider that the cost of hiring software engineers in Latin America is significantly lower compared to American or Canadian professionals.
While hiring developers in Ukraine or Eastern Europe may also yield cost savings, the time zone difference may present challenges depending on the team's availability for collaboration. In such cases, hiring developers from Latin America proves to be a viable alternative as they can readily adapt to the Eastern or Pacific Time Zone.
At Glassdoor you can run some searches about the paid salary for Flutter Developers accordingly to their region.
We hope this guide can assist you in structuring your hiring process. However, keep in mind that you do not have to do it alone, as Trio is here to add value to your business by providing vetted and experienced talent that can easily meet your requirements and navigate across various business and project types. Additionally, Trio simplifies the hiring process by providing valuable insights into candidates' salary expectations, allowing you to make informed decisions about who to hire. Overall, if you require a senior Flutter developer, Trio is an excellent resource to consider.
Structured one-on-one meetings are like following a recipe, they provide managers with the opportunity to connect with your team members, understand their goals and challenges, provide feedback and guidance, and ensure all the necessary ingredients are in place so that everyone is aligned and working towards a common goal. In this guide, we'll explore some best practices for engineering managers hosting one-on-ones with team members.
7 benefits of one-on-one meetings
You can use one-on-one meetings for a variety of reasons, including:
Connecting with team members
Creating a supportive space for discussion can foster a team culture of open communication and feedback. One-on-ones provide managers an opportunity to get to know team members as a person and teammates.
Helping employees achieve their goals
Identifying goals and action items for your employees is an important part of supporting their growth and development. Here are some steps to help you identify goals and action items for your team members:
- Discuss aspirations: Ask about career aspirations and what your employees would like to achieve in their role. This can help identify areas where they are motivated to develop their experience.
- Identify areas for improvement: Review performance and identify areas where employees can improve their skills or knowledge. This can include technical, soft, or management skills.
- Establish accountability: Determine who will be responsible for each action item and set deadlines for completion. This can help ensure that progress is being made and that goals are being achieved.
- Set SMART goals: Work with your employee to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals that align with their aspirations and areas for improvement. These goals should be challenging yet achievable and provide a clear direction for their development.
- Create action items: Identify specific actions individuals can take to achieve their goals. These should be practical, realistic, and aligned with the employee’s skills. Some examples include:
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Attending a training course or workshop
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Shadowing a senior team member on a project to gain more experience and exposure to new skills and techniques.
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Setting up regular 1:1 meetings with a mentor or coach to receive feedback
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Taking on a leadership role in a project
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Collaborating with another team on a project to gain experience in cross-functional team dynamics.
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Writing a technical blog post
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Contributing to an open-source project
Sharing performance feedback
Providing constructive feedback to your peers as an engineering manager is an important aspect of building a strong and effective team. Here are some tips on how to provide constructive feedback to your team:
- Be specific: Provide examples to support your feedback. This will help your team members understand what they did well or what they need to improve on.
- Example: "I noticed during the last team meeting that you interrupted others while they were speaking. I love that you're excited about this topic, but try to let others finish their thoughts before sharing your own ideas."
- Be objective: Don’t making personal attacks or being overly critical. Focus on the facts and be objective in your feedback.
- Use a positive tone: Frame your feedback in a positive way, emphasizing the things your team members did well and offer suggestions for improvement.
- Example: "You did a great job presenting during the last client meeting. However, I think it would be even more effective if you could use more visual aids to support your points."
- Focus on behavior: Focus on the behavior or actions that you are providing feedback on, rather than on the person.
- Example: "During the last sprint, there were a few instances where your communication with the team could have been clearer. Let's work on improving our communication going forward to avoid any misunderstandings."
- Offer solutions: Provide specific solutions or suggestions for improvement. This can help your team members understand how they can improve and feel more motivated to make changes. If you have a solution or action plan right away, that’s OK. You both can take time to brainstorm possibilities.
- Example: "I noticed that you've been struggling with a particular coding challenge. Perhaps some training sessions or taking an online course to improve your skills in that area might help. What do you think?"
- Follow up: Check in with your team member after providing feedback to ensure that they understand the feedback and are making progress towards improvement.
- Example: "Thanks for taking my feedback on board. Let's check in next week to see how things are going and discuss any further"
Addressing concerns or issues
Giving your team a safe environment to discuss concerns or issues allows managers to identify and resolve hiccups before they escalate and become bigger problems.
Prioritizing career development
Helping employees identify areas for growth and development, as well as provide guidance on how to achieve their career goals is essential for long-term success.
Aligning team members Bringing team members together
Carving out time on a regular basis (i.e. monthly) to review team objectives, discuss progress, and identify areas for improvement is key to making sure your team is working toward the same goals.
Offering recognition and rewards
Recognizing and rewarding team members for their hard work and achievements can boost morale and motivation. Regularly acknowledging successes, offering praise, and discussing rewards creates an environment in which everyone feels trust, safety, accountability, and equity.
How to prepare for one-on-one meetings
Be consistent but flexible
To create consistent and open communication, establish a regular cadence (weekly or bi-weekly) for one-on-one meetings with each team member. However, leaving room to adjust as needed is crucial. For instance, if a team member is struggling with a particular issue or project, you may decide to increase the frequency of your one-on-one meetings to provide additional support and guidance.
Give ample time
The length of one-on-one meetings between a manager and a team member can vary depending on the needs and goals of the team member and the availability of the manager. However, a typical length for a one-on-one meeting is between 30 to 60 minutes. It's important to note that the length of the meeting should not be the primary focus, but rather the quality of the conversation and the outcomes achieved. The meeting should allow sufficient time to cover the key topics on the agenda and provide an opportunity for open and productive communication between the manager and team member. The one-on-one meeting should be focused on the team member's goals, challenges, and development. Give the team members ample time to speak and share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns.
Provide an agenda
Before your one-on-one meetings, take some time to review the team member’s recent work. This will help you identify any areas where the team member needs additional support or guidance. Use this information to create and share an agenda 24 hours prior to the meeting that outlines the topics you want to discuss. Here's a sample agenda:
|
Topic |
Summary |
Time |
|
Check-in |
Begin the meeting by asking how the team member is doing and if there are any updates or concerns they would like to discuss. |
5 mins |
|
Progress and accomplishments |
Review the team member's progress on current projects and discuss any accomplishments since the last one-on-one meeting |
10 mins |
|
Challenges and obstacles |
Discuss any challenges or obstacles the team member is facing and work together to identify potential solutions. |
10 mins |
|
Feedback |
Provide feedback on the team member's performance, including strengths and areas for improvement. Encourage the team member to provide feedback on your performance as well. |
10 mins |
|
Goals and development |
Set goals for the team member, both short-term and long-term, and identify actionable steps to achieve them. Discuss opportunities for growth and development within the team or organization. |
15 mins |
|
Action items and follow-up |
Recap the key takeaways from the meeting and identify any action items and next steps. Follow up on action items in the next one-on-one meeting. |
5 mins |
|
Wrap-up |
End the meeting by thanking the team member for their time and contributions, and reiterate your support for their success. |
2 mins |
Questions to ask yourself before your next one-on-one
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Career desires |
What does each team member see as their next role? |
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Does each team member have a career plan, or are they seeking guidance? |
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What are their aspirations for their next role and how can we help them get there? |
|
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Team skills |
Who are your high performing team members? |
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Which key skills does each team member own? |
|
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What do they enjoy doing the most? |
|
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Which projects did they excel at? |
|
|
What is their main area for improvement? How can I help them improve? |
|
|
Who works in a close capacity, and which team members rarely speak with one another? |
|
|
Strategic team alignment |
Does everyone on the team feel on the same page? |
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How is team communication? |
|
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Are there frequent fire drills, and how are fire drills handled? |
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Is anyone carrying significantly more weight? |
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How are they feeling about their workload? |
|
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What obstacles are they running into with their current work projects? |
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What makes their job harder? |
|
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Is there anything I can do to be more helpful leaders to them? |
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Do team members know the strategy for the quarter and year? |
Questions to ask during one-on-one meetings
By asking the right questions during one-on-one meetings, you can encourage your team to share thoughts and ideas and support development and career growth.
Here are some questions to ask:
|
Type |
Use case |
Example |
|
Open-ended questions |
Use open-ended questions that encourage team members to share their thoughts and ideas in detail. |
"What's been challenging for you lately?" or "What do you think could be improved on this project? |
|
Clarifying questions |
Ask clarification questions to ensure you fully understand your team members’ perspective. |
Example: "Can you explain what you mean by that?" or "Can you give me an example of what you're referring to?" |
|
Follow-up questions |
Ask follow-up questions to explore a topic in more detail. |
"How did that make you feel?" or "What do you think we could do differently next time?" |
|
Goal-oriented questions |
Ask goal-oriented questions that help your team members focus on their development and career aspirations. |
"What are your career goals in the next 12 months?" or "What skills do you want to develop in your role?" |
End the one-on-one meeting on a positive note, acknowledging the team member's progress and accomplishments. Provide clear expectations for the next meeting.
How to handle difficult conversations
Listen
Actively listen to your team member's concerns and show genuine interest in their perspective. This can help build trust and encourage more open and honest communication.
Stay calm
Keep the conversation focused on the issue at hand and avoid getting emotional.
Focus on solutions
Brainstorm ideas together and come up with a plan for moving forward.
5 reasons why taking notes matters
It’s important to capture key points and action items, but also to be present and engaged in the conversation. Your notes don’t need to be a transcript, rather use a consistent format or template to recap the conversation. You can use a shared document or note-taking app, to keep your notes organized and easily accessible. Here are five reasons why meeting notes are essential to success.
- Document progress: Taking notes can help you document the progress of your team members and keep track of their goals, accomplishments, and areas for improvement.
- Prepare for future meetings: Notes can be used to prepare for future one-on-one meetings and ensure that you are following up on action items and addressing any ongoing concerns.
- Identify patterns: By taking notes on common themes or issues that arise during one-on-one meetings, you can identify patterns or trends that may require further attention.
"John expressed some concerns about workload and time management. - Provide feedback: Notes can be used to provide feedback on the team member's performance and identify areas for improvement. "Steve has been struggling to meet deadlines lately. Let's work together to identify any obstacles and come up with a plan to improve."
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Demonstrate active listening: Taking notes can demonstrate to your team member that you are actively listening and engaged in the conversation.
4 tools to enhance your one-on-one meetings
There are many tools available for capturing one-on-one meeting notes and actions as an engineering manager. Here are some we’ve found helpful:
- Note-taking apps: Apps like Evernote, OneNote, and Google Keep are popular for taking notes during one-on-one meetings. These apps allow you to create notes, tag them for easy organization, and share them with others.
- Task management tools: Tools like Trello, Asana, and Monday.com can be used to track action items and deadlines discussed during one-on-one meetings. You can assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and track progress.
- Communication platforms: Platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Chat can be used to record notes and actions during one-on-one meetings in a dedicated channel or chat. This allows you to easily reference past discussions and keep all related information in one place.
- Dedicated software: There are many dedicated software solutions available specifically for one-on-one meeting management. Examples include Lattice, 15Five, and Reflektive.
By prioritizing regular check-ins with your team, you can improve communication, foster stronger relationships, and ultimately drive better business outcomes. If you're looking to take your staff augmentation efforts to the next level, Trio can help!
With our experienced team and comprehensive solutions, we can provide the support and expertise you need to achieve your goals.
Visit our website today to learn more.