Teamwork is good for business – whether in the healthcare, education or IT sector. Collaboration increases efficiency and productivity, and boosts creativity among staff members. It also helps to ensure that the company competes in the marketplace. Despite these advantages, many software developers struggle to put their heads together to work on a project. Collaboration isn’t always easy, mainly because we are independent and have diverse ideas of what makes a successful project. Companies must hire people who are willing to work together for the common good to make things work.
This article briefly explores the benefits of collaboration for engineering teams. Do you work as a developer in an organization and want to increase efficiency? If so, here are some benefits of working as a team.
Collaboration improves efficiency
Collaboration improves efficiency – we cannot overemphasize this point. Cross-functional collaboration is the key to success for every company. In fact, 83% of tech leaders think that it is crucial for software development. However, there is a second school of thought that believes that investments are better than collaboration and that companies should instead focus on that. Those who belong to this second school of thought do not invest in the skills needed for effective collaboration, which is bad for business.
Many software companies consist of independent departments that do not know a thing about what is happening in other areas. While it is impossible for a team to understand everything that’s going on in another section, they should acquire some knowledge because it could be helpful in the future. A gap in communication between teams can lead to missed deadlines and decreased efficiency. This means that the company has to spend more to cover for this.
Teamwork instills accountability among team members
When people are required to be accountable for their actions at each stage of the development process, they become more diligent. However, when left alone, they see no need to put their best into the job. Accountability makes people accept their mistakes and not blame anyone on the team. They admit their mistakes and find ways to correct them. Accountability is a positive experience that all staff members must have. Rather than wait to be punished, they must take responsibility from the start. Many companies adopt the ‘no blame’ culture, a policy that encourages people to point out a fault rather than who did it. Companies such as Hootsuite, Etsy and Google practice it. Software engineers are meticulous with every task, which explains their high demand. They hold accountability in high esteem as it determines the success or failure of their product.
Collaboration inspires creativity
One individual in the company can’t develop all the creative ideas. Factors such as your mindset, environment and the people around you inspire creativity. A conversation with a colleague can spark a question inside you or provide a solution to a problem. Creativity is often overlooked when discussing collaboration because we believe that it is inbuilt. When you work on a project with others, you become more creative because you try to understand their perspectives and how they intend to work things out.
Many companies encourage brainstorming sessions where they compel employees to consider multiple perspectives at once. Brainstorming also looks back at what went well in previous projects and what didn’t work so well. It also identifies areas that should be worked on. Getting people from different departments to brainstorm goes a long way to finding answers.
Teamwork supports learning
When it comes to software development, learning never ends. Each person has some knowledge to contribute to the project. When they do not join forces, these ideas go to waste. No matter how experienced someone is, there’s always something new to learn. Whether it’s a new idea, word or language, there’s something to take home.
Learning occurs in different forms in software development. Team members can also learn from each other by attending collaborative events organized by the company. For instance, Microsoft’s annual Hackathon is an event that brings thousands of company developers under one roof. The primary aim is to create innovative software solutions.
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Collaboration increases the quality of the code
The idea of a single programmer developing software alone in their office sounds fantastic until you realize that it doesn’t work. In today’s world, high-quality software is created by a group of people divided into teams to solve complex problems. The best teams are those that collaborate effectively. Getting like-minded people to work on a code increases its quality.
It results in frequent code reviews and pair programming, which is common among software development teams. Pair programming involves two programmers working together on one computer, actively coding and monitoring the code being written. This ensures that no bugs slip through the cracks during development. In fact, it reduces bugs significantly. Companies such as Snap, Vimeo, Shapeways, Meetup and Facebook have adopted this method.
Collaboration is at the heart of software development. The best software in the world today was built by a team and not individuals. Teamwork helps in your personal and professional life. If you’ve never considered its usefulness, here is an excellent opportunity to do that.
