Posts in "Employer"

A Summary of Hiring the Ideal PHP Developer for Your Project

PHP is a popular programming language that is used for developing websites and applications. It is simple to add a wide range of functional elements into your website or application project. It is functional, convenient, and easily integrated into websites driven by databases.

Because the syntax has been somewhat borrowed from Java, C, and Perl, it is perfect for developers who are just starting out. At the same time, there are numerous advanced features that appeal to more experienced developers looking to write desktop and cross-platform applications. It is supported by most servers and operating systems including Microsoft, iOS, Linux, and RISC OS.

What Should You Look for In PHP Developer?

Ideally, the candidate’s resume will have details of a bachelor’s or higher degree in a computer-related field and any diplomas or certificates they have earned in PHP related fields like web development, web design, or engineering. Some companies don’t lay so much importance on degrees today and look for other skills.

PHP skills that candidates may have

The list will give you some ideas as to the skills a PHP developer may have, although there may be more depending on an individual’s experience. Naturally, the first thing you will want to see is experience with PHP.

  • To be able to combine databases and data sources into one
  • An understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, and know-how to hand-code it
  • Know the behavior and limitations of programming languages
  • Be confident in the basics of design principles
  • Experience in scaling
  • A background in open-source frameworks such as Joomla, osCommerce and Wikis
  • Experience working with tools, databases, and web services that developers frequently use

What are some of the frequent responsibilities of a PHP developer?

In the first place, the code that a PHP developer writes must be well designed and free from bugs through thorough testing. They will need to prepare the documentation for the developed products. During the development and testing stages, they should be able to optimize each part of the application or site, as well as the associated databases.

It is also possible that the PHP developer will be in charge of the implementation of data storage solutions, again, including databases but also key-value stores and blob stores. Finally, a PHO developer may be responsible for the use of visual development environments and if and when needed, debuggers.

Everything You Need to Know About Hiring Flutter App Developers

Flutter is a cross-platform SDK and one of the best for the development of Android and iOS apps. It offers quick, beautiful, and accurate development solutions and is preferred by a rapidly growing number of companies.  

Flutter provides exclusive capacity for the design and development of complex projects but as it is a fairly new SDK, it might be a challenge to reveal the developer’s potential. If you are looking to hire a Flutter app developer, you should become familiar with the different roles, requirements, and skills. Read on to find out everything you need to know about hiring a Flutter app developer. 

Experience levels of Flutter App Developers  

There are different levels of mobile app developers according to their experience. In general, developers with up to 1 year of experience are considered junior; 2-4 years makes them mid-level developers, and those with more than 4 years of experience are referred to as senior developers. But considering that Flutter is a generally new platform, there might not be that many experienced Flutter developers. You must evaluate the developers’ experience in native app development to find out whether they will be able to adapt to Flutter quickly. 

Junior developers 

As junior developers are just starting their careers, their knowledge of programming languages and tools will be limited. They will also need to be constantly monitored by an experienced developer. At this point, hiring a junior developer for Flutter app development might be tricky as they will need a lot of time to grasp the logic and architecture of the framework.

Senior developers 

Senior developers have already completed several projects so they can understand new frameworks and their architecture fairly quickly. They are also able to work by themselves without the need for supervision and can find and eliminate bugs quicker. 

In general, hiring the best Flutter developer will mostly depend on the project and the developer – while junior developers might lack the skills they could compensate with motivation to learn quickly, but a senior developer will most likely need less time to grasp the task and start working on the project. 

Flutter app developers responsibilities 

A Flutter app developer will build apps for both iOS and Android but will also be responsible for other tasks. In order to do the job professionally, a Flutter app developer needs to be very familiar with the design and development of cross-platform apps and being able to stay focused on the requirements and needs of the project. They should write readable and clean code and be familiar with Dart – the primary language in Flutter, and be able to predict bugs and know how to deal with them. As the app development process will involve several other team members, the developer must be a team player and be open to cooperation and collaboration with the other members of the team. And as the tech scene is constantly evolving, the Flutter app developer must be always up to date with all new tools, trends, and technologies, as well as major updates. 

 

How to Hire a Backbone JS Developer

Many have started to notice that full-stack web development with Backbone.js is becoming a popular choice because of its seamless compatibility with other principal JavaScript platforms, including frameworks like JQuery and Underscore.js. Backbone programming is used by practically all backbone service providers for the development of SPA, web applications based on JavaScript.

What is Backbone JS

For those looking to develop client-side applications, in particular single-page applications (SPAs), this JavaScript-based library is essential. It is used for high-performance applications because of its lightweight framework.  With the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design, Backbone uses a RESTful JSON interface. THE MVC design is essential for a structured approach for organizing code and to ensure there are data sync and flow between the HTML, UI, and JavaScript logic with the server-side application.

Thanks to Backbone.js, developers can use the MVC design to better organize and manage their code. Being a library, there are numerous functions that can assist in the streamlining of data rather than having to restructure the complete code. Backbone.js can be used with other JavaScript libraries and developers will appreciate its scalability, coping with widgets to larger applications.

Where has Backbone.js Been Used

Backbone is consistently gaining popularity as the leading technology in web development. The possibilities of front-end applications with Backbone are endless considering this library in the JavaScript environment. Here are just a few examples of Backbone.js in use:

  • Airbnb- an app for short term renting properties and accommodation worldwide.
  • Hulu- subscription service for online video-on-demand
  • Trello- an app for work collaboration and project management
  • Soundcloud- a web-based platform for music

There are more than 2 million websites using Backbone.js, most predominantly in the U.S, the U.K., and Germany. It is ranked the 9th most popular of all the JavaScript libraries.

Backbone.js Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • It’s open-source
  • It’s lightweight, fast, and efficient
  • MVP model
  • Perfect for routing methods
  • An excellent range of classes and functions
  • It’s extremely flexible and supports other plugins
  • There is a good support community

Cons:

  • It’s not ideal for new developers
  • Views are bulkier with larger apps

What Skills Do Backbone.js Developers Need

As with many types of software engineers and developers, the demand for those with Backbone.js knowledge is very high. Aside from JavaScript, Backebone.js, and front-end development, Backbone.js developers in high demand have the following skills:

  • HTML5, CSS3, DOM, AJAX
  • Understanding of model, views, and collections
  • Restful API
  • Cross-platform and cross-browser compatibility
  • User interface design
  • A basic level of database systems knowledge

How to Hire a Backbone.js Developer

Because of the increase in demand and average salaries, people are turning to alternative hiring methods to find the best recruits. Here are 3 routes you could go down:

  1. Hiring Backbone.js Developers In-House

The old school way of recruiting; a company places a job advert and often recruits someone from the local market, possibly even further afield. If hiring from a different country or even city, the company assumes the cost of relocation and in the case of another country, all of the legal documentation. The new hire will become a part of the IT team and work in the same location.

This method can provide the company with higher efficiency and a better quality of work. It is also much easier to coordinate with employees when they work in-house. On the downside, the company is responsible for all of the employee costs including medical and social security payments. They will also have to make sure they have the physical space and resources available for the hire.

  1. Remote Hire of a Backbone.js Developer

Today’s digital communication has encouraged remote hiring. It is now easy to communicate with outsourcing providers across the world. It becomes much easier to find the developer you need as you have greater access to talent and experience. Not only this, but you can also take advantage of lower costs.

This method also allows for high efficiency at potentially, a much lower cost than hiring in-house. It can also reduce your development costs because the outsourcing provider has the technological resources required to complete a part of your project or the entire thing.

  1. Freelance Backbone.js Developer

A company can choose a freelancer from a variety of freelance websites and hire one person directly. The company also has an amazing talent pool to choose from and this is one of the cheapest hiring methods. However, freelancers are often working on multiple tasks and so this could also be the least reliable option.

This is a great option for short, fast projects and there is most likely a solution for every budget. But, if you haven’t worked with the freelancer before, there is a great deal of risk in terms of the quality of the work, meeting deadlines, and reliability.

 

 

 

The Importance of Hiring NodeJS Developers

Hiring new employees is never easy but it is even more challenging for a non-tech-savvy person to have to hire developers. With more and more new technologies entering the market, new programming languages are appearing that allow for high interaction, scaling, and dynamic websites and applications. One that companies need to be aware of when hiring is NodeJS.

What Is NodeJS?

NodeJS is an open-source cross-platform for environments that run on the V8 engine from Google. In principle, it is used to execute JavaScript code from outside the browser. NodeJS is now over a decade old and because of the single-threaded nature, it is able to create highly scalable and data-intensive backend API services in real-time, making it one of the leading tools for backend development. It can run on a number of operating systems including Windows, Mac, and Unix.

The Main Features of NodeJS

  • 2-way communication in real-time is exceptional and makes or a welcome change to the web request/response paradigm.
  • Thanks to the native machine code in Google’s V8 engine, NodeJS is extremely quick which essential leads to fast, flexible network applications.
  • There are plenty of libraries and with reusable classes, developers can cut down the development time by making tasks simpler and not having to start each task from scratch.
  • Real-time web applications are perfect for things like chat apps and gaming apps.
  • The combination of compile-time errors and adding front-end and back-end teams to just one unit can increase productivity.
  • Application deployment is far simpler because of the NodeJS dynamic ecosystem
  • IT is good at handling data streaming and I/O. As it can read and write streams to WebSockets, it can also read and write to HTTP.
  • It’s SEO friendly, crucial for businesses and their marketing strategy. Sites are perceived better by search engines which helps to draw more traffic to websites.

Why Should You Hire a NodeJS Developer?

NodeJS is similar to frameworks like Ruby in Rails or Spring in that it is used to develop and run web applications. It is lightweight, supports Object DB, and is easy to host and reuse. Here are some of the tasks a NodeJS developer can take on:

Project Planning

Any NodeJS developer who is confident in its complexities will be able to take on a project and customize it for the maximum results. They will be able to add or delete features as and when required and finally, you will have a high performing real-time app.

Front-end and Back-end

As well as both front-end and back-end development. NodeJS developers will be competent in a range of other languages such as JSON storage Object DB (CouchDB or MongoDB) developers will use JavaScript at a database level.

MEAN Stack and Web Tech

Developers will be able to work on various development stacks such as MEAN, and other necessary technologies. With a solid mixture of skills, developers can use their NodeJS knowledge with PHP stacks for increased flexibility, as one example.

A Guide to Hiring a NodeJS Developer

Two of the most popular ways to hire a NodeJS developer is either in-house or to outsource. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s look at them in a little more detail.

In-house NodeJS Developers

A company will already have an IT team or even several. A NodeJS developer will be hired as a contracted member of the team. More often than not, they are hired locally or at least from the same country. Hiring in-house is a costly way to add NodeJS developers to your team and you will also have to invest time into the hiring process.

Outsource NodeJS Developers

NodeJS is actually quite an intricate tool that needs a specialized set of skills. Depending on your location, this might not be easy to find. Outsourcing gives you access to specific skills across the globe and it also allows companies to significantly reduce the cost of development.

Whether you choose to hire in-house or to outsource part or all of your projects, there are some things that you should bear in mind. NodeJS developers should:

  • Be able to plan, construct, and design applications to match the needs of a business.
  • Have the ability to analyze business data in order to develop and deploy apps.
  • Test apps on various platforms especially Android and iOS.
  • Have a range of skills related to JavaScript.
  • Have excellent soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and management skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Hire a SaaS Developer

SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a fast-growing category in the cloud computing field, which offers software resources to different companies that are accessible through browser and internet connectivity. Third-party SaaS service providers that host the service allow access to the customers through subscription. 

History of Software as a Service started 50 years ago and the pioneer in the filed was IBM. Today, most famous companies that resort to SaaS services, apart from the IBM Corporation, include Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Open Exchange, and Concur Inc. 

The most popular SaaS solutions worldwide include Google Suite, Slack, Zen Desk, HubSpot Marketing, Shopify, DocuSign, Xero, and Survey Monkey. 

Why Hire A SaaS Developer 

Due to the fast growth of Software as a Service development all over the world, the demand for SaaS programmers is high and expected to grow even more in recent years. 

A SaaS software developer can help for the development of 100% unique solutions that perfectly fit the business requirements and needs by developing a professional SaaS platform. They will help to improve the reliability, security, and efficiency of the service, and achieve a competitive edge over the competitors. Also, a SaaS developer can help to improve the user experience and the service ranking, and overall improve the delivery time for the project and reduce the cost for development. 

With the huge growth in SaaS market, it only makes sense to hire a developer that will help to maintain the industry standards in SaaS development. 

What are the main responsibilities of a SaaS Developer 

A SaaS developer is a full-stack developer responsible for the development of online tools supporting the SaaS development, test cases to ensure the quality of the code, as well as the implementation of debugging processes. They assess the customer requirements and translate them into design components and implement the application design into the software code. 

The SaaS developer will also develop software prototypes and data pipelines, and make improvements in the application design.  

What are the main skills a good SaaS developer should have

No other field is as fast-changing as IT and software, and the SaaS field changes accordingly. In order to be successful, a Software as a Service developer should also be improving and learning new things to stay at the top of the game. 

Some of the most important skills for a SaaS developer include great knowledge of JavaScript, Python, GitHub, Ruby on Rail, Java, Django, Big Data, Hadoop, Spark, DevOps, Agile, MongoDB, SQL, Node.JS, Dot Net, and network security. 

 

How to Hire the Best Internet of Things (IoT) Developer

If you want to hire an Internet of Things (IoT) developer, you will need to make yourself familiar with several things before you start the recruitment process. What are the main skills you should look for, which top technologies IoT developers use, what to look for in an Internet of Things resume – these are all questions you need to be aware in order to make the best choice and land top IoT talent. 

Read on for several useful tips on the most important things you should look for before hiring an IoT developer. 

Most Important Skills for an IoT Developer

An IoT developer should be able to: 

  • Be able to apply all networking rules to the IoT device as it will be a part of the local network of the business, institution, or your home.  
  • Know about best practices in the internet and network security to be able to protect the data that is stored on the IoT device
  • Work with different electrical components such as LEDs, capacitors, resistors, breadboards. 
  • Use low-level, as well as high-level programming languages as IoT development requires a lot of programming. 
  • Analyze the data and extract insights to improve IoT product services. 

Most Popular IoT Technologies 

These are the most important Internet of Things technologies that will help to maximize the potential of IoT products. 

  • IoT Security – as IoT devices are frequently used inside private homes, a lot of IoT technology products focus on tight security.
  • IoT Analytics for better and more efficient analysis of the data collected by the IoT network.
  • IoT Platforms – a single tool providing a solution for different aspects such as IoT development, maintenance, and support. 
  • Long-Range and Short-Range Low-Power Wireless IoT Networks 
  • Development Kits that enable fast prototyping of IoT devices 
  • IoT Device Management to be able to monitor the status and condition of a IoT devices. 
  • IoT Operating Systems specifically designed for the Internet of Things.
  • Machine Learning that optimizes artificial intelligence and makes learning from data possible without the need for human intervention 
  • Edge Computing – cloud computing method that performs the data processing near the edges of the network. 

Most Important IoT Layers 

Thanks to the IoT, the power of the internet can be brought to almost every equipment, gadget, or appliance. These devices can automate a vast spectrum of tasks, and improve the user experience by extracting data from their surroundings. An IoT system usually has these functional layers: 

  • Perception Layer – data extraction from the environment through sensors that measure location, temperature, speed, orientation, pressure.  
  • Network Layer – IoT devices are connected to the internet and the information gathered from the perception layer is shared with the rest of the world
  • Middleware Layer – performs data processing and calculations, as well as providing storage for the Internet of Things device. 
  • Application Layer – presents the information to the users so that they can control the IoT device.
  • Business Layer – the collected data from the IoT device is used for the improvement of the product and maximizing the business value. 

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire an eCommerce Developer

The eCommerce industry is one of the most rapidly growing industries. And even if small businesses and companies can do pretty well with online stores build on commercial platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, and Squarespace, if you have serious plans for growing and expanding into a well-recognized brand, you should definitely consider building your own eCommerce platform. 

You have to move beyond the basic functionality and offer unique customized capabilities so that your business can grow. In order to achieve that, you need a professional eCommerce developer to help you build a successful online store. Read on to find out the best reasons to hire an eCommerce developer if you are looking to grow your brand. 

Customized design and features 

Each one of the popular eCommerce platforms will allow you to customize the theme, template, or modules you use but only to some extent. It will be pretty hard to truly stand out no matter how much effort you invest. And you can’t really build an authentic and exclusive eCommerce brand if your online store doesn’t offer a unique shopping experience and a strong brand identity. 

An eCommerce developer can create a custom design made especially for your brand so the whole process – from the first time users arrive on the website to the moment they finalize the checkout, feels like an exclusive experience. This will boost your brand’s recognition and help you engage your customers more.  

Optimized functionalities and performance 

If you hire an experienced eCommerce developer – or a whole development team – you can rest assured that your platform will be truly optimized and provide great performance. Forget about slow loading time, errors, and flawed UX – and these are the most common factors that determine whether an eCommerce business will be a success. 

Your developer will be able to integrate third-party features, optimize the performance, and improve SEO which will greatly help your online store and eventually lead to longer session duration, higher conversion rates, and greater customer satisfaction. 

Better options for scaling and customization 

The world of technology changes very quickly and constantly offers new trends and solutions. If you want your eCommerce business to grow, you need to keep up and be prepared to implement all-new features or update the technologies. A store building platform will be extremely limiting but with your own custom-built eCommerce online store, you will easily update your website so you don’t face any issues with incompatible integration. 

Even more, a professional eCommerce developer will build your online store with the future in mind and offer much more flexibility in terms of scaling and customization to meet your new business goals. 

Better maintenance and support 

When you hire an eCommerce developer you can rely on having a smooth and straightforward experience in terms of building and maintaining the online store. As new additions will be tested thoroughly before implementation, there is less possibility that something might go wrong with the smallest update. Also, professional support will mean that there will not be a chance of security flaws and potential errors in the final product. 

Future store migration

This is what you hope and work for – that one day your business will outgrow the current platform you are using. In this case, it will be important to be able to migrate the online store without losing or damaging any data. An eCommerce developer will help you conduct the move without any problems in the process and ensure that everything is running smoothly and any issues are handled correctly. 



How to Choose and Hire the Best React.js Developers for Your Project

React is constantly rising after breaking 556 million downloads per month in March 2020. Also, React.js presents a good level of flexibility and performance for building scalable solutions with interactive UIs. No wonder many companies are adopting this technology. How to hire React.js developers? What is React.js used for? What is react developer salary? We will provide you all the info you need.

What is React.js?

React.js is a JavaScript library developed and supported by Facebook specialized in creating user interfaces. It is used to create single-page applications and can be combined with React Native to build native cross-platform apps.

React.js vs. reactive indigenous: what is the main difference?

React.js is a JavaScript-based library, while React Native is a framework that uses a set of mobile-compliant features provided by the React package.

Both the syntax and workflow of React.js and React Native are the same, but the execution is completely different.

Reactive Native is intended for building native mobile applications from apps built with Object-C or Java. In contrast, React can be used to create web, mobile, desktop, and hybrid applications.

Basically, React Native uses the same basic UI building blocks just like iOS and Android apps and groups them with the help of React.js syntax in order to produce a rich mobile UI.

Why React.js is popular?

React is highly executable. React.js uses a robust reconciliation algorithm named Virtual DOM used to examine the current page structure versus the planned page structure and update the correct components as your data changes;

Another important benefit is scalablity. React.js just one language for server-side, client-side, and mobile applications;

The reaction is constant. React.js is backward compatible, meaning that it rarely changes its interface or not at all. As a result, legacy projects can esilu be upgraded to the latest version of React.js without having to chenge the codebase.

The response is flexible. It can easily be combined with various state managers (eg, flux, redux, reflux, or alt) and allows the application of different architectural patterns;

React is component-based. This allows the creation of encapsulated components that manage their own state and create them to create complex UIs. 

Are React.js developers in demand?

Demand from React.js developers is growing at a record pace. In total, React.js is now helped develop over 1 million websites globally. Here are just a few well-known brands that used it to create their websites: Twitter, Facebook, Atlassian, Cloudflare, Glassdoor.

According to the HackerRank Developer Skills Report 2020, JavaScript is the most widely known and viewed form for programming languages, while React.js is the second most widely used framework.

Yes, Google Trends suggests an interest in React gained traction over the years and fired another popular JS library – Angular.

React native developers increase faster than local labor markets. Thus, many companies have difficulty finding and hiring them locally.

Tips to hire the best React.js developers

Portfolio and Reference

React.js developers’ CVs and portfolios can say a lot about their expertise. First, pay attention to the candidate’s experience, whether he has at least two years of experience working with React, and has developed various single-page applications (SPA).

Secondly, due to the constant release of new features and libraries, candidates should follow the latest trends. Understanding of the latest React-based libraries and tools can prove to be an important advantage.

You can also ask for references or search for feedback on your candidate’s work in community and job forums. With this, you can get a better understanding of his abilities.

  • Technical skills required by any reactor developer
  • Good understanding of pure JavaScript;
  • Experience working with at least some modern technologies such as Angular, VU, Backbone JS, which have a clear understanding of the reactor’s capability;
  • Knowledge of different architectural patterns compatible with feedback and state managers based on the flux approach;
  • Experience with related technologies such as Node, Webpack, Babel, Redux, HTML5, and CSS 
  • Knowledge of jest for test coverage;
  • Experience with react natives.

In Conclusion

As you can see, choosing and hiring both React.js and React Native developers can be challenging. However, by working with StaffAugmentation and taking into account the information above, the entire process will be straightforward. 

 

 

 

How does Agile Software Development work?

“Agile” is one of the most popular words in the technology industry. The reason for this is that the Agile software development model has won a lot of ground inside companies and teams.

If you are looking for a definition or a set of rules generally accepted to define this model of organization, you will be disappointed to learn there isn’t one. Being a fairly open system that counts on strong collaboration among its members rather than strict rules, the opinions about it vary greatly.

Some of those working in such an environment will vouch for a number of rules that need to be followed in order to count as agile. Others will say the exact opposite, that agile is all about rule abolition, which makes for a good excuse to work at one’s convenience.

One way to look at Agile is that it gives the freedom of adopting rules or process structures to a certain project or team. This becomes efficient by letting a project flow smoothly in accordance with each members style and pace. Of course, there will be deadlines, sprints and a framework. But communication will be the strongest tool as members need to work together.

The beauty of it is that projects don’t need to be adapted to fit in a working scheme. On the contrary, the agile scheme adapts to each project and the very different team members. A basic mobile app project with five members differs greatly from an industrial machine programming one where money and lives are at stake. Yet they can all use Agile Software Development.

In the same category of liberty of movement lies the fact that you can always reconsider steps and processes and make changes as you go. Other working models are stricter with project stages unraveling in a progressive way and not allowing changes in past stages without revisiting everything. In Agile you can produce documentation that you need or implement tools and see how it works. This is why you cannot strictly define Agile because it is a dynamic way of team working.

A minor drawback in Agile may be the fact that some people use it to justify a lack of planning ahead. Agile is not something you make up as you work, it could just as well be named Chaos. In models like Waterfall, a client building a product loses when mistakes appear in previous stages. Because it costs a lot to go back and fix, you end up losing time, money, energy and ground on the competition. This is why it has been pretty much left behind. Agile is winning ground precisely because it allows for flexibility and improvement at all times.

However, planning happens in Agile as well. You have to define some guidelines, goals and predict results for at least a few weeks ahead. It helps each member organize their tasks and the team to assess their progress. Also, at the end of each sprint, you can take a step back to visualize your project so far and see if the initial decisions and ideas still make sense. If not, you can always make changes.

Failing to plan or refusing to do so will leave you with doubtful software and poor results. Flexibility and adaptability are keywords in the tech world. Changes you make to a project can impact greatly your customer or user community, but it comes with the territory and you need to be ready to take on the challenge. This does not mean that you don’t plan ahead to have an idea where you are going and predict some estimates. Imagine scenarios, think of possible outcomes and try to prevent the undesired. This is what Agile comes down to! Plans may seem useless because they never go accordingly, but planning is priceless because it gives you direction.

Understanding How Software Development Metrics Can Enhance Your Business

Today, the majority of businesses have implemented the correct software to allow them to achieve their goals. Nevertheless, they fail to apply software metrics into their development process. A lack of such metrics can lead to reduced quality and not meeting deadlines. We are going to take a closer at some of the key software development metrics and how they can benefit your business.

What Are Software Development Metrics?

Software Development Metrics are a set of calculable measurements or specifications used to examine and monitor the well-being of a development process. When using metrics, you are able to make informed decisions from objective data rather than letting emotions get involved. Software development metrics have a number of benefits including:

  • The ability to follow a team’s performance
  • Discover is quality meets expectations and requirements
  • Ascertain the speed of delivery
  • Concentrate on the time needed for various stages of the development process
  • Highlight areas for improvement

How Can You Use Software Development Metrics Correctly?

The first important rule is to select your own set metrics as no one business is going to be the same. You will need to know what to measure and why you need to measure this. Then comes the how.

Why do you need this set of measurements? Are you on schedule with your development and is the quality what you had expected? Are you developers performing well? Is your code readable, extensible, etc.?

What to measure? It would be sensible to consider actionable KPI targets as these will assist in the implementation of the required metrics.

How to measure? There are a variety of tools and it is often about personal choice. Some will measure manually; others may use Jira or Excel.

Time Management

Be careful not to spend too much time on KPI measurements. There have been cases where the process of monitoring software development metrics exceeds the business value and this time should have been spent on the actual development process.

Tune all of your instruments to measure KPI

If you tune all reports and widgets in Jira, you will save time. It’s a quick process that involves logging in and downloading the reports that you need. When tuned correctly, tools can be extremely useful. It is essential that if you use Jira, you formalize the set of metrics. Keep a note of the software development metrics you use so that it is easier to stay up to date with the progress rates and how you can enhance processes.

Keep the lines of communication open

Start with a Kick-off meeting when beginning a new project, let the developer know how important communication is. Inform them of the software development metrics so that you can work on them together. A good practice is to open a BurnDown chart that can be used to monitor the progress on the Sprint. As soon as a problem arises, it can be dealt with together.

Possible Delivery Metrics

The following software development metrics are an excellent way to get a range of information and from different angles.

  1. BurnDown Chart

This chart is a graph of what still needs to be finished within a given time. BurnDown charts are very common when using Scrum/Agile development and are good for teams. The vertical axis represents the tasks to be done and the horizontal axis shows the time. BurnDown charts allow senior staff to see if the team are going to be able to complete the project on time and they are very simple for everyone to read.

Note: When the red line deviates from the basic line, there is an issue and you need to find out what is going wrong.

  1. Release BurnDown Chart

This is very similar to a BurnDown chart but looks at the bigger picture. You can view sprints rather than days. This time of chart also works when there is a determined scope of releases as you will be able to see if you are going to have the time to release by the deadline. Knowing in advance will allow you to advise stakeholders.

  1. Velocity Chart

This software development metric will measure the size or extent of the tasks being carried out by the team during a sprint. Knowing how fast your team can work enables you to create accurate plans and deadlines for future sprints. This type of chart allows you to compare carious sprints and calculate the average team performance, again, helping to plan better for future projects.

Note: Team members leaving or joining will have an impact on the velocity.

  1. Cumulative Flow Diagram

A cumulative flow diagram is a chart containing lots of relevant information including summaries, work in progress, finished tasks, testing, and velocity. Task statuses are shown in a backlog and will indicate and problems that the team could be facing. Completed tasks remain at the top while those that are falling behind are in the backlog. Monitoring tasks in the backlog will show you where your team can improve efficiency.