Skip to main content

How to Enable your Software Development Team

 

Software developers all have the same amount of time every week. Some use that time effectively to ship great products and others push things to the next sprint. For a software development team to have peak productivity, both skillset and work environment matters. Unfortunately, even for the most skilled teams, the modern work environment can become a productivity killer. Constant pings on messaging apps, interruptions from well meaning office colleagues, and the constant pull of emails, social media, and other time killers make a team highly unproductive.

How can we design a better work environment for a more productive software development team?

Current office designs are not suitable for teams that require uninterrupted time to do deep focused work. Most offices are designed with an open office plan. These are terrible for focused work, or any kind of deep work. 

Most companies decide to implement an open office plan due to cost consideration. But they come with a lot of disadvantages that make it impractical for software development teams. Here are some problems software development teams face while working in open office plans:

Co-workers interrupting to get an opinion: When you sit an open office plan, co-workers assume that you are always available. They can just walk up to you and interrupt. And they generally do, because it will only take a minute. One minute is not one minute in software development time. One minute of interruption can cost 45-minutes of time to get back in the zone. Software development requires uninterrupted blocks of time to achieve optimum output. It is not the number of hours, but the quality of time spent.

Audible Noise: In an open plan office there is always background noise. Be it coffee mugs being slammed, phones ringing, printers whirring, general chatter, or sudden loud noises. Noise in general can be distracting, irrespective of how good that noise cancelling headphones are supposed to be. 

Visual Noise Visual noise is distracting images or shifts in the field of view that grabs our attention, distracting from the current work. It could be something as simple as someone walking by in a colourful dress, to some screen on the wall. Visual noise is more of a problem than auditory noise. At least auditory noise can be filtered away using headphones or music. 

Status Update Requests: It is common to seek status updates when a planned project is underway. But in an open office plan, this can become an impromptu meeting. A quick 5 minute meeting, which extends to half an hour. And the expectation is that all members of the team attend these meetings, since they are “important.

Ad-hoc meetings: Has it ever happened that you took a coffee break and started chatting with a colleague, only to realise that it has turned into a meeting with 5 more people participating? Or even worse the chat becoming a gossip session? It happens quite often in open office environments. Easy access to your colleagues makes it easy to get into random conversations and ad-hoc meetings.

With so many interruptions and opportunities for interruptions, it is no wonder that most software development projects exceed their timelines and budgets. And many times the teams are not able to keep up with changing demands fast enough. But there is a way to design offices for software developers.

A better work environment for software development teams: 

Ideally, every software developer should have an independent cabin with very high performance equipment with a high bandwidth internet connection. In the real world, software development is a team game, and interaction with team members is a necessity. Office design for software development teams have to take care of the contradictions between individual productivity and team interactions. 

Private Co-working: 

Co-working, the new style of designing office spaces, is much disliked by software development teams. Because they are quite similar to open office plans. Private co-working on the other hand are team spaces designed within larger office spaces. Think of a conference room that is exclusively used by a team.

Private co-working spaces are designed for teams of 3-8 people. These offices are designed such that the individual developer has his/her own space, and at the same time the team is right there in the same room.

Since all team members sit in the same room, it is easy to meet to discuss the project. The team can be very agile and adapt to changes fast. At the same time, since the entire team is focused on getting the project shipped, they will not interrupt each other. And the larger company still exists outside the room.

A perfect mix of individual productivity and team interactions.

Decentralised offices:

Why should all the employees be in one big massive office? Other than cost considerations, it does not make sense to seat different types of teams doing different tasks in the same space. Each team requires different spaces, different levels of interactions, even different types of technologies. Such office spaces are a disaster for productivity.

Besides productivity is the time that is wasted in trying to travel to the office and back home. Leading to health issues, work-life balance issues, and overall dissatisfaction due to the time being wasted in traffic jams. 

Software development teams can work from any location as long as the internet is available. 

Decentralised offices allow team members to avoid long travel times, be in an effective and productive environment.

Online and effective:

Teams today use a lot of online tools. Sometimes all the tools are on the cloud. In such scenarios does it really make sense to call in the employees to one location just to use some cool looking office space.

Using online tools and technologies can enable software development teams to be productive and yet be in touch with the rest of the company. And all this without missing out on any important information or announcements.

Conclusion

About the time that companies invest in decentralized private co-working spaces for software development teams. For a more productive and effective software development team, space uniquely designed for their needs is important.

The basic thing that all software development teams need is "more focused time" that they can spend on more meaningful work, which in turn will give better results in less time.

You find Joy at Work when you are in the flow and accomplish something. It is not about the number of hours you spend, but what you get out of the hours. Let us help you design the perfect work environment for your software development team.




Comments

Dbackdrop, INC said…
The information in the post you posted here is useful because it contains some of the best information available. Thanks for sharing it. Keep up the good work software development company in indore.
Impressive and powerful suggestion by the author of this blog are really helpful to me.

software development company coimbatore
mobile app development in coimbatore
coimbatore software company list

Popular posts from this blog

Are You a Tech Startup Yearning To Create Societal Impact?

Hello there !!! Are you a tech startup yearning to create societal impact? If yes, then it’s time for you to be the torchbearers of a sustainable future. Lab32 is back to empowering you with the right skills and guidance required to scale your startup.  Facilitated by leading consultants, mentors & entrepreneurs, Golden Square  and T-Hub’s Lab32 is all set to enable startups to race towards their goals. This three-month-long sector agnostic program empowers ‘Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Ready’ startups to crack their product-market fit and Go-To-Market strategies. Program Benefits Business model refinement  by addressing the key features and crucial aspects of the startup’s core strategy  Failure rate reduction  by setting up milestone-based objectives & assessments    Nurtures growth mindset  to scale & expand the business  Helps startups identify crucial pitfalls , assess problems, and find solutions in their journey  Provides relevant connections  with leading industry p

Ditch the Distractions: Find Your Dream Dedicated Office Space in Koramangala

Are you tired of working from home with constant interruptions? Does the noise of the bustling city make it difficult to focus? If you're looking for a professional and productive work environment, then a dedicated office space in Koramangala could be the perfect solution for you. Koramangala, a thriving business hub in Bangalore's startup district, offers a dynamic atmosphere ideal for businesses of all sizes. Golden Square Koramangala: Your Oasis of Productivity At Golden Square's Koramangala branch, we understand the importance of having a dedicated workspace that fosters creativity and productivity. That's why we offer a variety of dedicated office space solutions to fit your needs, from individual cabins to larger team spaces. Unlike impersonal co-working spaces, our dedicated offices provide a sense of privacy and security, allowing you to focus on what matters most – growing your business in Bangalore's startup district. Focus on What Matters Most Our dedicat

Office Space Meets Accounting Excellence for CA and CS

In the fast-paced world of accounting and corporate governance, Chartered Accountants (CAs) and Company Secretaries (CSs) stand as pillars of financial integrity and regulatory compliance. Yet, in the pursuit of excellence, the workspace plays a crucial role in shaping productivity, collaboration, and success. Welcome to Golden Square, where we redefine the concept of office space, offering tailored solutions that align perfectly with the needs of today's accounting professionals. Crafting the Perfect Workspace At Golden Square, we understand that the ideal workspace for CA and CS professionals goes beyond mere physical infrastructure. It's about creating an environment that fosters innovation, efficiency, and growth. Our meticulously designed serviced private offices and coworking spaces are crafted to elevate your work experience, providing the perfect blend of comfort, functionality, and professionalism. Tailored Solutions for Accounting Excellence Whether you're a seaso