Software development: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:47, 21 April 2025

Revision as of 06:56, 21 April 2025

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==Workers==

Software development is performed by '''software developers''', usually working on a team. Efficient communications between team members is essential to success. This is more easily achieved if the team is small, used to working together, and located near each other.{{sfn|Dooley|2017|p=2}} Communications also help identify problems at an earlier state of development and avoid duplicated effort. Many development projects avoid the risk of losing essential knowledge held by only one employee by ensuring that multiple workers are familiar with each component.{{sfn|Winters|Manshreck|Wright |2020|pp=30–31}} Software development involves professionals from various fields, not just software [[Programmer|programmers]] but also individuals specialized in testing, documentation writing, [[graphic design]], user support, [[marketing]], and fundraising. Although workers for proprietary software are paid, most contributors to [[open-source software]] are volunteers.{{sfn|Tucker |Morelli |de Silva |2011|p=7}} Alternately, they may be paid by companies whose [[business model]] does not involve selling the software, but something else—such as services and modifications to open source software.{{sfn|Tucker |Morelli |de Silva |2011|pp=14-15}}

In larger organizations, software development may be divided among multiple specialized teams responsible for various layers of the system, such as application development, [[Database|database management]], and infrastructure. [[DevOps]] engineers play a crucial role in bridging the gap between development and operations, ensuring smooth code deployment, automation, and system scalability.

While employees developing proprietary software are generally compensated by their employers, the open-source software community is largely composed of volunteers. These contributors may be driven by personal interest, a desire to improve software they rely on, or to gain professional recognition. Increasingly, companies also employ full-time developers to contribute to open-source projects that align with their business models—for example, cloud service providers supporting the open-source tools that run on their platforms.

Knowledge sharing and redundancy in skill sets within teams are often encouraged to reduce dependence on any single individual. Practices such as pair programming, code reviews, and documentation are used to disseminate knowledge across the team and minimize the risk of knowledge silos.

Workforce diversity in software development is also an ongoing topic of focus, with industry and educational initiatives promoting greater inclusion of underrepresented groups, including women, ethnic minorities, and people from non-traditional academic backgrounds.

==Models and tools==