How To
5 Expert Tips on How to Manage IT Software Company
Running a company is a demanding and challenging task. A leader should do everything possible to make their business bloom. However, it is easy to say so; it is not at all easy to do so. While each team has its own characteristics, some basic expert tips are appropriate for everyone.
Main Difficulties in IT Company Management
The IT industry is a unique and dynamic environment, which is haracterized by certain problems that managers regularly face:
- a team brings together employees with various skills and knowledge;
- if a company develops several products, you need to plan the resources distribution correctly;
- the IT-sphere has one of the highest high turnover rates;
- executives and managers may not have enough tech background;
- IT is a dynamic industry, and companies should remain flexible to be able to adapt to modern trends;
- a leader needs to carry the burden of lots of responsibilities: from assigning duties within a team to communicating with clients and consumers.
Five Management Tips
Management of an IT company is not an easy job because of the listed complexities. Follow these basic guidelines to minimize their impact on your activity and make your entire team work more efficiently.
1. Hire the right staff
In addition to having real professionals on your team, they also need to be motivated and totally involved in developing your product. A good employee should be team-oriented, passionate, and ready to make their own decisions. If you need help collecting staff, contact specialized services like Sibedge. They assess your goals and needs and provide the right team of pros.
2. Determine main KPIs
Any work should be assessed correctly. In addition to implementing metrics to measure employee performance, such as hitting deadlines and high-quality results, you should use KPIs specific to software development. They may differ depending on a project, but usually, they include:
- velocity;
- sprint and release burndown;
- cycle time;
- code stability, coverage, and simplicity;
- flow efficiency, and so on.
3. Build communication and feedback
Communication between employees and managers is the foundation of success. It can be tricky to organize it in an IT company since your developers might work asynchronously, but it is still necessary to find the optimal option for everyone. Arrange regular short meetings and brainstorms, but in such a way that they do not distract anyone from main tasks. Encourage feedback from your employees and let them voice their points of view.
4. Plan and set realistic goals
Planning should be at the heart of any activity. You need to establish milestones and define deadlines. You or another responsible person (a project manager) should create a clear and effective plan, taking into account all dependencies and available resources to which the entire team will adhere. It is important to set challenging yet achievable goals for each employee and the whole staff.
5. Document all steps
Documentation is an important part of any workflow. Write down the main steps, goals agreed at meetings, invented manuals, and other important information in documents that all employees have access to. Then, when questions arise, they can quickly find the answer. This way, they will not distract you from your work, and if any disputable situation happens, you can confirm some facts with the help of papers.
Practice Self-Development to Improve Team Performance
A competent and highly qualified leader will be able to effectively manage any company, not only an IT software team. Invest your time and energy in developing your soft skills. New knowledge will help you manage a company more effectively, improve strengths, and minimize the impact of weak points.