By Scio Team
“The biggest variant when developing software is people. And a Project Manager is the one tasked with making sure they reach their best productivity. More than money, time or the scope of the project, it’s about soft skills.”
— Chuz Magaña, Project Manager at Scio
Agile thinking is a must-have in this ever changing world. It means being able to think and respond quickly when change happens around us, whether it be technology evolving or someone else’s idea taking off unexpectedly.
As such, software development has never been an easy task to do. It requires planning, testing and many more practices like sprints or pair programming, depending on how you want your project done, and coordinating everything can be a daunting task.
That’s why the approach of Agile can be very helpful in understanding what needs to be done when faced by certain situations during development, because each brings out different complexities which dictate how they should be dealt with. In this framework, everyone is involved (from a developer through the customer), with confidence about where his/her responsibility lies throughout all the steps taken, mediated by a Development Manager.
What is the Role of an Agile Software Development Manager?
“Well, what does a Project Manager do? In simple terms, my job is to help a team to reach their goals during each step of development, but what I really do is manage people, because they dictate the progress of a project. And that can be from personal issues that one has to take into account, to making sure we have enough resources and a solution to solve any problem. In other words, it is making sure the collaboration we need to achieve our goals happens”, says Chuz Magaña, Senior Project Manager at Scio, with more than 15 years of experience in the field.
What he refers to is that, if the goal of a team is to improve the process and deliver results on time, then a Project Manager can help by empowering employees with responsibilities, encouraging them to work together as professionals who will commit themselves fully towards meeting those goals — even if it means taking risks or making difficult decisions along the way.
After all, Agile software development is all about being flexible. Each technique used in this process has a clear and defined role, but it’s important to know how your individual job fits into the bigger picture — and that of other team members too!
When you’re an agile software development manager, it’s important to define what everyone’s responsibilities are. You should help each team member excel in their specific role while making sure that everything goes according to standards using the Agile principles; overall, the manager ensures that the team delivers excellent results.
Here are some of the most important duties of an agile software development manager:
1. Project Planning and Management
As a manager, your job is to make sure that the scope of projects are defined efficiently with an achievable delivery schedule. You also need to keep up-to-date on everything, including leading and organizing progress reports for employees, as well preparing them when needed so they can be effective.
Also, part of the role of a manager is to project plans and make necessary changes if required.
Managers who understand the importance of agile in the project should be able tackle any challenge with more success, so make sure you live and breathe this process as well!
2. Team Management
If you are the agile software development manager, you have a duty to manage your team properly, and that includes assisting them when necessary so they can do their best work process-wise, guiding and mentoring them properly, especially as they undergo a stressful environment.
With a critical timeline, it is important to ensure the completion of projects on time. You can do this by respecting your team members and not micromanaging them; as well making sure that you give clear instructions for any given task or project so they know exactly what needs done without overstepping boundaries in either direction!
3. Risk Management
Risk management plans ensure that the project stays on track and prevents conflicts between team members, budget issues, or questions about the goals of development.
In order for a risk development plan to be effective, it must have clear communication among all parties involved, in order identify potential risks before they become insurmountable problems down the line; this includes identifying any conflict situations now so you can develop an appropriate response strategy if needed.
4. Process Management
Structure your workflow with a well-defined process. Make sure you identify and follow the best practices in agile software development to maximize productivity for yourself as well as other people collaborating on the project.
Keep the workload balanced so that no member falls behind. In an agile environment, the communication between the team and the product owner is crucial in terms of meeting deadlines.
5. Team Building
One way to make sure that you’re empowering your team members is by giving them freedom while still holding each individual accountable for their work. You should manage tasks at an achievable pace without sacrificing quality, which will lead everyone along nicely.
To be a successful agile software development manager, you need to have strong coaching and feedback skills. You should also build relationships with your team members, by giving them one-on-one meetings where they can share their thoughts about the project or codebase, without feeling uncomfortable doing so.
At the same time, you need to ensure rapport between the members so that they can work better as a team. A successful manager encourages the team members to bring ideas to the table.