Top 5 Organizational Challenges That Dev Teams Face

As the number of developers is expected to reach 45 million by 2030, something must be done to maximize their productivity and happiness. To help, here are the top 5 organizational challenges that dev teams face.

1. Relying on a Few

Rather than involving everyone in a software project, managers tend to rely on only a few to handle the work. These usually are team members with the most experience that quickly tackle tasks. In these situations, the rest of the group performs cleanup or is entirely left out of the process.

The concept of Agile Zen, which is detailed and coached across the globe by companies like Zen Agile, describes this as the wrong way to go. First, the team is lost if the few who deal with the project get sick or leave. Second, this form of delegation causes resentment within the team. As a result, productivity and retention are tremendously reduced.

2. Conflicts With Other Departments

Healthy competition among different development teams is suitable for a business. It hones their edges and helps provide a top-notch product. However, the opposite happens when various departments are at odds with each other.

This tends to happen when the groups are given different instructions and priorities. Additionally, the managers of these teams don't communicate with each other to formulate a proper plan. Let alone do they get the teams together to hash out their differences. When this happens, a project is delayed or never gets off the ground.

3. Poor or no Project Management

One of the items agile coaches deal with when they're brought into a company is the lack of project management. This is an enormous problem because it stops a dev team in its tracks if something happens. This can be a disagreement with another team or completion of task management didn't request.

This happens because a central person or team isn't put into place to be the go-to when issues arise. On top of this, there's no one around to keep track of tasks and break down obstacles that cause delays. The result is a project that goes nowhere due to misinformation and department politics.

4. Lack of a Team Leader

Senior managers and project lead only do so much in a development team. The productivity, testing, and software releases come from within the group. If it lacks a leader, then it runs around like a headless chicken. While they know the overall picture, they don't understand a project's intricacies.

One of the tasks assigned to an agile coach is to help establish leadership within a development team. Someone they can go to at an initial level to discuss problems and differences with other group members. These leaders either work to resolve the issue independently or move it up to the next level to answer correctly. Either way, those issues can be transferred to the side as the project progresses.

5. Reactive Versus Proactive Thinking

The world of information technology is supposed to be a proactive one. Companies and development teams see a potential need or upcoming issue. They create an application or program to expand their product list or protect their assets through discussion and planning.

Yet, in many cases, it's a reactive business. It means dev teams have to create solutions on the fly to resolve an issue in simpler terms. This method of constantly putting out fires wears down a dev team and leads to lower retention levels and general dissatisfaction.

This quintet of organizational challenges is a small percentage faced by development teams. In the end, they don't have to occur. Through concepts like agile methodology, these groups can be more productive and happier. It comes down to transparency and communication.

By working with other teams, bringing on a project manager, and talking through current and potential issues, dev teams are better prepared for ongoing projects. They also handle unanticipated issues with more resilience. It's the difference between a fair group of software developers and a great one.