In software development, there are many rules and methodologies developers can use to do their job clearly and efficiently. Deciding which one is best may depend on your project’s needs and requirements. While some companies hire an internal team and manage by itself, others use outsourcing services to access top-tier talent at a reasonable cost. No matter which methodology you go for, the main aim is to minimize investment and maximize ROI.
However, it’s no wonder that companies sometimes fail to meet their strategic targets even if they have good processes and developers.
According to TechCrunch – an online newspaper dedicated to the tech scene, learning new practices is essential for developers to improve their programming skills and be professional. In this article, we will introduce to you the best practices for software development teams – to ensure your project success.
What is Software Engineering Practice and Why is It Important?
A software engineering practice is a set of concepts, principles, methods and tools applied when creating software, from ideation to delivery and to maintenance. These practices equip developers to build computer programs and managers to monitor the project. Also, they provide technical and management advice on how to get the job done.
Most programmers admitted that they spend more of their time reading code than writing it. A good code needs to be simple to read and easy to understand, so software developers have to make it crisp and clean.
That’s why writing codes with conventions and standards is important. Conventions make it easier for developers to understand the codebase, reduce the development time as well as the complexity of the project.
5 Best Practices for Software Development You Should Follow
1. Write super clean and readable code
Let’s write code that other developers can understand. It sounds simple, but in reality, it’s such a challenging task, especially to write hundred lines of code that can be understood by others.
Clean code is important. Now, imagine you are the developer who reads and cleans up your code. You will understand what happiness it is when reading a well-written code.
2. Maintain version control for the code
Version control means keeping track of changes that you and others made to the code. This enables you to locate the author, time and history of any change and to have more productive code. Other benefits of version control systems include:
- Compare different versions
- Allow revert to an earlier version
- Allow parallel development
- Help future developers easily understand changes and processes
- Protect source code from failure and irreparable harm
3. Refactor/restructure the code
Refactoring or restructuring means improving the code’s structure without changing its original functionality. Software developers and computer programmers refactor code to improve the quality of software by reducing complexity and optimizing code for readability. Basically, this process makes code simpler.
Code refactoring is among the best practices for software development teams. It helps debugging much smoother and prevent errors from occurring in the future. Thus, you need to spend time refactoring your code to create a quality program.
4. Create your own coding style
Coding style refers to the techniques a developer uses in writing code for a software and making his/her code easy to read and easy to understand. A good coding style helps them to debug their programs faster.
The way you think and code certainly comes from your experience. As an experienced programmer, you will want to keep your code clean and well-organized. You will see that clean code is more important than ever no matter how long it takes to write.
5. Estimate the time correctly
Time estimation in software development is vital to avoid project overload. Agile methods, for example scrums – mean breaking down projects into releases and sprints. With this model, the requirements for the project can be prioritized and scheduled for each sprint. Wrong estimation can have a huge impact on the quality of project and time needed to get the job done. Hence, a daily scrum meeting is a great way to evaluate your progress, share information with your team and get updates on your project.
The above are some best practices for software development teams. Developers use these techniques to achieve the goal – create high-quality products on time – without going over budget.
