Contact us anytime to know more - Abhishek P., Founder & CFO CISIN
You can also do this if you're curious about the structure of a web development team and would like to know how to organize and set up a team to work on your website project:
- What is the role of each member of a Web Development Team?
- How to better organize your team
- What NOT to do to make your team of web developers productive and happy
- Here is an extra tip to help you with your first steps when building a web development team
Web Development Teams: Key Roles
Let's first go over the main roles in a website project to get a better idea of who is responsible for what. Remember that this is only a very basic explanation. Some responsibilities can overlap depending on team size and composition.
Business Analyst
The business analyst is the link between technology and business. A BA's primary role is to communicate to the experts what you are trying to achieve. It goes beyond just asking questions or drafting requirements. Although BAs also do this (a lot).
A business analyst's main goal is to determine how your company can achieve its business goals by using technology. They will consider a variety of factors, including your audience, market, organization structure, available resources, current technology, competition, budget, and more. This vision should be communicated and translated in a structured format that is easy to understand (specifications and presentation, short proposal, and discovery).
BAs can be brought in at any point and not just at the start of a project. A dedicated BA working on a SaaS project will monitor the performance of the product from the business perspective. They also keep an eye on the competition and the state of the market. This helps an experienced BA identify gaps, areas for improvement, and what steps are needed to maintain the top position of the product.
Important skills
- Communication and interpersonal skills are outstanding. BA is, first and foremost, a communicator.
- All major Business Analysis Techniques.
- Data analytics tools and business data visualization.
- Tools for project management
Main tasks
- Understanding business goals is key to converting them into project specifications.
- The document collects and shares functional requirements.
- Market, competition, and audience analysis are important.
- Define the opportunities and challenges.
- Analyze cost benefits.
- Communication between all stakeholders.
One more thing. BA plays a key role in long-term web projects that are product-driven (e.g., SaaS-platform. A BA's responsibilities are usually taken on by a PM or PO, who is trained to oversee the product development side. Are you looking for a tech partner who can help set up your web development team or to hire web developers from abroad to enhance your existing team? Let's talk!
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Solution Architect
A solution architect, unlike a BA, is strictly a technical role that's always carried out by senior tech specialists within the structure of a web development company. A solution architect conducts technology analysis at the beginning of your project to identify the best tech stack and web architecture for you. Solution architects are responsible for laying the foundation of your website.
- Determine non-functional and functional requirements. (Scalability, Security, etc.). Understanding which technologies are best for your tech stack.
- Choose technologies and architectural approaches by breaking down your system into its functional components.
- Assess your current technology infrastructure.
- When choosing the technology stack, define opportunities, risks, and limitations.
- Examine the available technologies. Select the technology stack.
Important skills
- Experience and knowledge in web technologies.
- We are designing IT architecture and infrastructure.
- Skills in product design and project management.
Main tasks
- Choose a tech stack that is future-proof.
- Create an architectural diagram for a specific product.
- Define principles to solve non-functional needs.
Designer
Depending on the scope of a project, one or more IT professionals may be assigned to web design. Design roles vary in their responsibilities. This isn't the purpose of this post. Let's just stick with professional UX/UI Designer. This role is essential to any website and web development team, if only because it encompasses all the design work.
Translating the title of this role will give you the idea that UX/UI designers create user experience (UX) and interfaces (UI). This role is not simple in reality. UX/UI Designers shape the web product based on the BA's requirements and their research.
The UX/UI process is consistent and starts by analyzing the audience, the competition, and the market. These findings, combined with the project goals and requirements, are used to describe the user personas, define scenarios, and develop the information architecture.
Important Skills
- Communication and analytical skills.
- Fluency with user-centered design techniques and principles.
- Tools for wireframing, prototyping, and graphic design (Figma Photoshop Marvel, etc.).
- Understanding the frontend technologies is essential (HTML/CSS/JavaScript etc.)
Main Tasks
- Create information architecture for the web.
- Visualize interactions and develop user experiences.
- Develop a visual design for the web and a system of design.
- Validate and test design solutions.
- Design should be communicated to the key stakeholders as well as the technical team.
Software Developer
When you consider building a website development team, the role of a custom software developer comes first to mind. It's usually the developers that make up the majority of the team. When searching for web design services, you need to consider three different roles.
Frontend Developer
Developers who work in front-end development (also called "front-end") are responsible for the client's side of web applications. The front-end developer takes over the visual design created by a UX/UI Designer to create a user interface.
Front-end engineers must have a minimum of HTML/CSS and JavaScript skills, along with TypeScript. They should also be familiar with a variety of frontend libraries, frameworks, and platforms that allow them to create interactive, scalable apps (React.js, Angular, and Vue.js).
Backend Developer
The back-end developer is a programmer who works with databases, logic, and the infrastructure of a web application. Backend engineers need to be able to work with different technologies (.NET, Java, Node.js Go, etc.). Experience with cloud computing, data management, and deployment techniques.
Full-Stack Developer
You may want to hire full-stack developers who are proficient in frontend as well as backend technologies if you're developing a complex web application that has a high-interactivity frontend. This is usually a more senior position that requires a developer to be able to program in both the backend and databases and also use frameworks for developing complex user interfaces.
You will gain an advantage by hiring full-stack software developers. This is because they can bring more expertise and knowledge to a small team.
Important Skills
- Knowledge of modern programming languages, web frameworks, and platforms.
- Modern engineering techniques and tools are used.
- Cloud services, databases, and infrastructure tools.
- Agile development practices.
Main Tasks
- Code refactoring, bug fixing, and support.
- Enhance existing functionality and create new features based on the specifications.
- Support integrations of 3rd-party services.
Quality Assurance
The Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer works alongside developers to ensure that everything runs smoothly. By everything, we mean all parts of the system, from a simple UI element to database responses and APIs connecting to third-party services. To achieve this, QAs develop test cases and continuously test the system with different tools and methods. They also report any bugs or problems to the development teams.
QA can be involved at all stages of the web development services, from the design workshop to the post-launch analysis.
Important Skills
- Test and debugging experience is required.
- Understanding of best practices in UX and usability design.
- Problem-solving mindset.
- Attention to detail is paramount - before your users begin testing, QA will be your last defense.
Main Tasks
- Create and plan test cases and scenarios.
- Tests can be performed on different aspects of the system (performance, usability, and regression).
- Report and document bugs.
We haven't gotten to all the tips, but let's get a quick tip out of the way: Do not ignore the value of a QA Engineer when assembling a web development team. Skimping on QA will never yield good results.
DevOps
DevOps engineers work on large projects that require extensive infrastructure and ongoing maintenance. DevOps engineers bring speed and order to the development process. They also help automate and optimize deployments using modern DevOps tools and practices. A DevOps Engineer monitors the performance of your infrastructure e.g., Cloud services help you to find savings opportunities.
Important Skills
- Experience in software engineering.
- Use of cloud services, DevOps tools, and CI/CD tools.
- Modern engineering and delivery techniques.
- Tools for project management.
Main Tasks
- Monitoring, supporting, and maintaining cloud infrastructure, services, and data.
- Assure system stability, safety, and scalability.
- Automated deployment and testing.
Project Manager and Scrum Master
The list is rounded off with the Scrum master and project manager. This is an important role within the structure of the web development teams. There are two roles as a Scrum master and a PM who have different sets of responsibilities, and they work best with different types of projects.
Scrum Master
Scrum Master fits well with long-term projects involving a cross-functional, mature team. The team should have a solid process in place and a high degree of autonomy. This person is a facilitator and not a control. The Scrum Master ensures each member of the web development team is equipped with everything they need to be productive and removes obstacles or problems that get in their way.
Project Manager
The PM role is more traditional and can be applied to almost any project. Every PM's goal is to ensure and oversee that the project gets done. This includes planning, assigning tasks, managing scope and changing requirements, establishing a framework for communication, and monitoring progress. We mentioned that qualified PMs can often assume the role of BAs and ensure all business needs are met.
Important Skills
- Communication, interpersonal and organizational abilities that are outstanding.
- Tools for project management and reporting.
- Tools for data analytics and visualization.
Main Tasks (PM)
- Manage changing requirements by gathering and analyzing requirements.
- Create a project plan, estimate the work, and keep track of progress.
- Facilitate effective communication between team members and encourage productivity.
- Communication with key stakeholders Communicates with major stakeholders (e.g., business owners, directors of engineering, marketing executives, etc.).
We are almost done. Let's move on to the most important part of this article: tips for organizing a team to develop web applications.
Read More: 5 Practical Ways To Expand Your Web Development Firm
5 Tips To Successfully Organize Web Development Team Structure
Aim for a Multi-Functional Team
There's a misconception about cross-functional teams. They are viewed as a collection of specialists that can switch between roles easily if necessary (e.g., Developers begin testing the product. A cross-functional group is an all-inclusive package that includes the ability to develop web products or certain iterations of web products without external assistance. If you want to build, support, and evolve a web-based product, a cross-functional group is the best option.
You can either partner with an established vendor to leverage the dedicated team model or create your in-house development team. It is important to have specialists available who can cover all phases of the product development cycle.
Create a Framework for Communication From the First Day
Communication is a key component of great teamwork and, as a consequence, great products. It is important to set up a framework for effective communication to provide your team with a solid foundation. Give your team of web developers tools, principles, rules, and practices that promote open and transparent communication. It will be worth it. Listening is another rule, particularly when communicating with stakeholders. "Stakeholders are the best people to ask about their company, its product, and progress."
Foster Trust
We would give only one tip on building a web development team capable of creating a successful product: Foster a culture of trust. It's important to create a positive environment in the team and develop relationships that are based on mutual trust. It is a guarantee of success. Team members must be able to openly discuss problems and trust their leaders (a PM or Scrum master, for example) to build up trust. It is important to encourage personal responsibility and commitment to the success of a product.
You can do it by promoting informal communication and leading by example. In short one-to-ones, you have the opportunity to speak with your team. Sometimes even outside of the project. During retrospectives, we also adhere to the Las Vegas Rule ("Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"). They know that they can talk openly about any event during a sprint, and it will not backfire. This has worked for many teams, not just us. "Our colleagues from Sweden, the UK, and other countries"
Leverage Agile Methodology
Agile provides you with everything you need for a web development team, including rituals, tools, and roles. The business benefits are endless (faster time-to-market, insights-driven product strategies, flexibility, regular deliveries, etc.). This approach offers the complete framework of an efficient software development process.
Rituals are important in our personal lives and work. Agile rituals play a major role in establishing the pace of a project. Sprints of three weeks, for example, set the pace. It has become a habit for everyone. "It provides stability and confidence and helps keep the team in peace."
Two Teams or More can Be Set Up
Our clients have seen how dividing and restructuring a large development department into smaller groups can help them boost their project's speed and even reach the most ambitious of delivery goals. It's something we have done several times, and one of our real-life success stories shows that splitting the dev team helped a business double its development speed.
You can't stop there. Not only do you divide your team into separate units, but you also give each one a focus. Each team is given a specific focus - a part of the system to be worked on or a particular functional component. It helps teams to develop a deeper understanding of certain functions and components, which speeds up the coding.
Avoid These Mistakes When You Organize Web Development Team
One Role Is More Important Than Others
One of the biggest mistakes that we see is putting one person on a pedestal over another. From the perspective of a manager, it is obvious that placing a PM above developers and QAs would be a mistake. We adhere to horizontal and equal management. Cyber Infrastructure Inc. adheres to this principle, which brings transparency and speed when making decisions and solving issues.
This also mirrors Scrum Masters' role as servant leaders. You serve your team by making sure that they are well-equipped to do productive work. You are responsible for the success of the project.
Plan Too Much
It might seem controversial, but planning everything down to the minute creates more stress than it is worth. We used to make detailed plans, graphs, and deadlines for large projects; then, we would try to adhere to these. The old method is no longer used. We now break down every large task into smaller, simpler ones. This gives your team flexibility, allows them to get feedback frequently and adapt to change."
It's Strictly Technical
It's a phrase we repeat over and over: solve your business problems with technology, not technical ones. We train the entire web development team to look at every feature, component, and iteration from a business perspective.
Tell your team how your product can help your company and audience. Explain what it is, the problems that it fixes, and what it does. You can share news, insights, and opinions with your team, particularly if they have feedback directly from users. Let your team understand more than just the technical aspects of the products they create.
Cyber Infrastructure Inc. Can Help You Build A Web Development Team
In this article, we discussed the main roles of a web development team. We provided a few tips for organizing it. We can, however, do so much more. Cyber Infrastructure Inc., a multi-functional team of software developers with an emphasis on complex interfaces and web technologies, is part of a large cross-functional group. The core technology stack we use and the services that are offered include:
- .NET development
- Java development
- Python development
- Node.js development
- Angular development
- React.js development
- Vue.js development
- Cloud development
- Microservices development
- Big Data Solutions
- Web portal development
- Web app development
Cyber Infrastructure Inc. is a reliable partner for you if your goal is to find a web development team that will optimize costs and timelines. You can refer to a couple of our client's success stories:
- Cyber Infrastructure Inc. assembled a team of 20 full-time employees (UX/UI Designers, Full-Stack.NET Engineers, Project Managers, QA Specialists, and BAs) to build and maintain a web-based system that can handle high loads for both B2B photo printing and B2C services. The team continually scales the system, introduces new features, and helps the client maintain their competitive edge.
- In just two months, we set up an Agile cross-functional team consisting of senior Java engineers, data scientists, and DevOps. We also helped a UK-based diagnostic analytics company develop a web-based solution that is innovative for precision medicine.
We offer marketing services, unlike many software companies. This helps your business meet certain marketing needs. This is especially important if you are selling goods or services, as the competition can be fierce.
Market Strategist
A marketing strategist's job has some similarities to that of the project manager. Both these professionals' work extends beyond the planning stage to include post-launch. Marketing strategists are responsible for creating a strategy that will help your company reach its goals and ensure the implementation of the strategy. It can include anything from user experience to storytelling.
The strategist is often responsible for assembling a team of marketers, analyzing the effectiveness of various marketing channels, and determining whether business goals are being met. Simply put, a marketing strategist will do everything they can to reach the target audience and motivate them to take action.
SEO Expert
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is one of the most popular methods to bring the right people to your site. The marketing strategist will probably want to include an SEO expert in their project.
What are the primary responsibilities of the SEO specialist in 2023:
- Research keywords
- Analysis of traffic and metrics
- Analysis of competitors
- Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing a website to meet its requirements.
- Collaboration with authors and designers.
The list is not exhaustive, as it can vary depending on the project. The main job of an SEO specialist is to increase the ranking of a website in search engines.
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Conclusion
The article discussed the roles and responsibilities of each individual in a web-development team. This structure can change depending on your project's size. You might also enjoy this article about creating a web development process.
professional UX/UI Designer Also, we wrote on several related topics, such as the workflow for a web development team, the team-as-a-service model, and the advantages of hiring a dedicated team. It's important to work with a web development firm that has experience in building products. Cyber Infrastructure Inc., for example, assembles a team of web developers according to project requirements. Our years of expertise in software development include everything from developing iOS and Android applications from scratch to optimizing ERP and CRM systems.
Our Business Analysts define the requirements of our clients. Solution architects analyze requirements to deliver cost-effective and high-quality products.
