8 Non-Technical Skills That Every Developer Must Have
By: Rania Mdimagh
Tags: Soft Skills, Development, Jobs, Skills, Software Development

When we think of software development as a job all that comes to our minds is technical skills, technical thinking, technical abilities, technical, technical …and more technical things! After all, a developer’s professional relations are all with his computer Isn’t it? Well, that is wrong! Besides knowledge of languages and frameworks, an outstanding developer isn’t great at what he does with technical proficiency only!

Software developers are required to have soft skills as much as technical skills in order to maximize their professional growth and be a good addition to their teams. Actually, In some situations, the soft skills are the ones that save a whole software development project from falling apart!

Yep, this blog is about nothing technical! Here are the main non-technical skills that a developer MUST have :

Solution-oriented thinking

Software development is all about solving existing problems through digital solutions ! every feature and every code in every digital solution is meant to answer a specific need. Adding to that, the numerous popping challenges faced during the development cycle from situations that require re-coding to others that require complete new strategy while Misunderstanding a problem can lead to creating new ones. Some client requirements are simply a big complicated problem to execute needing way beyond “normal thinking”.

How can you be a software developer if you are not able to develop digital “solutions” ??

The Eagerness to learn

Software development is a constantly evolving domain which means whatever you learned yesterday might need to get updated today and whatever you don’t know you need to learn it ASAP. A static mindset doesn’t serve the job! It needs a dynamic mind driven by passion and eagerness to learn. The field is so vast that there’s no way for anyone to learn everything in it but what segregates one developer from another is that capacity to learn and ensure personal growth as any self-respecting software developer will need to dedicate a significant amount of time to learn NEW sKILLS.

Intellectual curiosity in the good sense is what pushes a developer to ask questions, think deeper of problems, try to solve them from new angles, drive projects forward, and sculpt careers.

Team member mentality

Unlike the common thinking that related the life of a developer to a computer, a developer works within a TEAM!

Oh yeah it some projects are co-developed by a team of developers and Even if the project is solo-operated the developer is still doing teamwork with BAs and respective project managers. Being a team member means being comprehensive, collaborative, enthusiastic, helping, understanding, punctual, kind, appreciated by the rest of the team members, and way more good adjectives.

Having Great team players are essential in providing great teamwork which is crucial to driving the project to success within the best delays and budget. Unfortunately not anyone is born with a good sense of teamwork many struggle to put aside their solo thinking and adopt a team player mentality…another factor that differentiates one developer career from another!

Basics of leadership skills

Well, Today’s developer can be tomorrow’s head of the development department! Being one team member is skilled enough, Striving to head a team isn’t just a matter of who has the best technical knowledge, it is mostly a matter of being a great worth-promoting leader that can communicate ideas and guide a team energetically. Developers need to crucially consider adopting leadership skills and believe in their importance from the early stages of software development career if they are willing to go further with their desks. It includes working on good monitoring, guidance, strategic thinking, stress & time management, prioritization, influence, communication skills..etc

Communication skills

What’s the point of working on projects working in a team and contributing to solutions if you can not communicate them properly?? Quality communication is crucial to ensure effective teamwork and eventually satisfy the client with results. Competent developers are the ones available to actively listen, understand, and communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly in the matter.

Sometimes the developer is put personally in contact with the client to follow their requirements. With the lack of communication skills, a simple meeting can turn into a disaster. Perhaps the most important skill in this area is active listening. Whether collecting client feedback or participating in a sprint retrospective, developers need to know how to listen and empathize with others in order to collectively determine the best path forward.

visionary perspective

While developing a successful digital solution, a developer needs to put himself in many shoes: he should

Think like a user to get the right useful features and develop a great user experience.

Think like hackers conduct tests and retests to provide great security system in everything he develops.

Think like an innovative inventor to develop every product uniquely and avoid falling into the “typicality” issue.

Think like the client to ensure his satisfaction.

Think like his managers to align with the company’s goals, culture, and future vision.

Think like his boss to get promoted xD!

Such thinking requires a real sense of empathy and elaborated visionary perspective skills as All your work can be in vain if not appreciated by the right people and solidly safe from hackers.

Striving for excellence and innovation

A great developer is the one that strives to excel at his job delivering both quality and innovation in the best delay that means saying “yes” to new experiences, staying relevant and engaged, having the Willingness to try out new techniques, to improve work and bring innovation.

A successful product requires well-structured, semantic, maintainable code, the success comes in paying attention to the smallest details and having a Detail-oriented eye to take pride in delivering high-quality code.

Repeating what everyone does isn’t what is going to build you a successful developer career, it is the innovative quality delivering mindset that does!

Disciplinary and organizational skills

Coding is a lot like sports: You come in time, you stay energetic and you develop muscles in your brain! Being not organized is a big issue as It takes persistence and discipline to learn development techniques, work efficiently, and be ready to accept change in client requirements.

software development can be over exhausting and demanding, it is a very complicated process that takes mental effort. developing the smallest digital solution can take impressive efficiency and patience in decoding challenges. Getting discouraged and Giving up won’t get you anywhere except failure! It is important to be disciplined, consistent, and welcoming to feedback while developing digital solutions.

Conclusion

Professional growth comes in developing both technical and non-technical skills as they go hand in hand in determining project success!