Software development is a technical job, so you’d expect communication to be of a technical nature. However, in the rush to ship code, we often forget that there’s people involved. Instead of “hello,” it’s “hey, where are we at with Software X?” Communicating like that is jarring, and promotes an equally terse answer.
When answers are shorter, deliverables can get left out. And who knows what information might be important to know at a later date?Accelerance outsourcing gurus Steve Mezak and Tom Cooper sat down to talk about the best ways to communicate during a software development project. Their suggestion? Talk to your developers like people, not robots.
“I think we have to figure out what are we doing and then we have to figure out how can we make the project effort relevant in our communications and in the work that we're doing,” Tom says.
Successful Software Development Communication
Using methods that promote conversation, like a simple greeting before starting a task or speaking in a manner that invites the listener to respond, will go far. If you don’t have any clue what your developers are doing, then how are you going to be able to effectively communicate? If you’re not communicating with your developers, it could influence the success of your software could spell trouble for the success of your project.
In software development outsourcing, communication is critical to the success of the software development. Stay in contact with your software outsourcing partner in a way that promotes fruitful communication is vital. When issues arise, you’ll be able to effectively communicate to your team.
