The IT industry has long ceased to be solely about technical work and an analytical approach. The arrival of agile software development[1] introduced a markedly different way of working—one that requires a far broader range of skills than ever before.
According to the Agile Manifesto, business people and developers should work together daily throughout the project. In agile development, face-to-face conversation is the most effective and efficient way to convey information. Interpersonal relationships are nevertheless often undervalued in IT because people frequently assume, mistakenly, that so-called ‘soft skills’ develop naturally.
Yet a well-functioning team is a key factor on which successful project delivery depends, so no skill should be needlessly undervalued. A successful information system is not merely a programme, but everything required to write, deploy and use it.
So which soft skills are essential to development?
Implementing an information system begins with a thorough understanding of the client’s needs and requirements. One key skill is therefore empathy, which creates sufficient understanding between the commissioning party and the person delivering the work. A developer must be able to offer exactly what the client wants while also explaining the proposed solution clearly enough.
Active listening saves a great deal of time and trouble. In team communication, it makes the development process easier; in dialogue with the client, it helps the team understand what the client wants. But the process does not end with listening alone. Once the client’s requirements are understood, a discussion should follow to outline an initial solution.
A good presentation is an important part of the commercial side of development because it establishes the value of the proposed solution. A poorly chosen presentation approach can diminish the entire project or prevent its full potential from being realised.
The ability to stand up for your solution is another capability that a software supplier should possess. Assertiveness is often wrongly viewed as negative, yet used at the right moment it can prevent misunderstandings and help preserve the value of the work delivered.
Agile development often involves changes in requirements even at later stages of software development. Alongside changing requirements, the way the team operates may also evolve over time. It is therefore important that every team member can quickly adapt to change.
The best architectures, requirements and designs emerge from self-organising teams —so it is important to communicate effectively. Based on IBM research, effective communication is defined as communication after which both parties fully understand each other and know what will happen next. It is essential to remember, however, that requirements can easily be phrased in different ways— follow-up questions should therefore be an indispensable part of the dialogue. For clarity, all communication should also remain as factual and focused as possible to avoid unnecessary information overload.
Sources:
Náplava, P. Establishing Successful Industry Cooperation. Unpublished lecture. IBM United Kingdom Limited. 13 April 2018.
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/ibm-training/top-skills-you-need-to-succeed-in-the-modern-workplace/
[1] Agile development aims to restore trust in development methodology through four key values and 12 principles. Find out more at https://agilemanifesto.org/
Kristýna Tabačíková