The Importance of Soft Skills in Software Development

Soft skills are typically traits of a person or characteristics that have been developed over time through a variety of life experiences, rather than just being work-based skills. Skills such as communication, leadership, problem solving, collaboration and critical thinking are all examples of soft skills. And in any workplace or career they are incredibly valuable both to an individual and a team. 

For software developers having such skills contributes to a functional and efficient software development process. Allowing developers to communicate with clients and wider teams to ensure the delivery of quality software solutions. 

Communication 

At the core of any team, communication skills are imperative for a variety of tasks in life. In working software development teams, communication is crucial for ensuring that work meets the required standards of the client, deadlines are agreed and met, and collaboration within the team is effective. 

For good communication to be upheld, teams should have a line of communication. With individuals referring to line managers to pass on messages and creating a single point of contact for particular areas of the project for the client. This makes communication easier to manage and for important messages to be passed onto the relevant people quickly and efficiently. 

Problem solving 

Problem solving is another soft skill that recruiters and hiring managers will certainly look for in a qualifying software developer. The process of software development can certainly be a challenging one and create hurdles that are often unpredictable and unexpected by teams. Having honed problem solving skills allows a software developer to approach a problem or challenge head on, finding the right solution without further delaying the project or causing issues for the wider team later down the line. 

Critical thinking 

Critical thinking skills can be used at every stage of a software development project. Defined as “an intellectual discipline involving actively conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and evaluating information gathered from diverse sources.” from the Foundation for Critical Thinking, critical thinking skills are valuable to a team of software developers with the intention of delivering the results a client is looking for. 

From the initial stages of the project through to the quality assurance and delivery of the software programme or solution, critical thinking allows a team of software developers to tick every box of the functionality and performance of the end product. 

Members of a software development team using critical thinking will be able to not only produce quality results but review products too, being able to analyse outcomes and make decisions based on their analysis. 

Leadership 

In order to achieve a well-organised and productive team, there must be members of a software development team that possesses strong leadership skills. This allows particular members of the team to oversee and delegate tasks to ensure deadlines are met and the product meets the expectations and requirements of the client. 

A good team leader will also have strong communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Having honed these skills in their role and throughout their careers, they become a leading example for others to follow and replicate.