In most startups and small businesses, especially in the tech world, developers and founders need each other. Founders bring out their idea/vision, and the developers help the founder by bringing in his technical skills to turn that vision into reality.
Most of the time developers and founders work well with each other, but that bond needs to be improvised over time. Here are some tips for founders and developers to consider to develop their bonding.
Important for Founders :
Most of the tech startup founders are generally focused on one thing overarching goal, i.e: either providing a solution that brings value or solves a problem for their clients.
This is their ultimate goal, which comes wrapped around a handful of other concerns related to the solution which is being developed, some of them are
- Deadline
- Budget
- Quality
- Revenue
- Scalability
Important for Developers:
While the developer goals generally align with that of the founder, they approach goals in a different way, and they used to have a different tactical view of the software.
Developers need information that will help them proceed in the development of the software. Some common question which arises for the developer are
- Who is gonna be the end-users my software?
- What problems are the users trying to solve using this software?
- What are the most important features an end-user will expect?
Founders are responsible to deliver the answers to these questions to the developer, along with the other details such as budget, deadline, etc.
More often the founder is the PO on the project, especially in early days, the developer will work closely with them on planning and execution.
Working together reduces Work Anxieties:
Founders and developers have different paths in reaching their goals, they each seek out different opinion and information. When a situation arises where a requirement goes missing it causes anxiety to both developer and founder. Developers and founders can help alleviate each other’s anxiety by consistent communication.
Founders:
Founders constantly think about business: funding, cash-flow, clients and marketing strategies. They keep juggling into a lot of projects, so strong communication between the developer team and the founder can ease the founder’s mind.
Developers:
In general, developers are more comfortable when they have all the information they need to build a software, they feel it like an easter egg. Some of the helpful information for a developer includes.
- Periodic reviews
- Understanding the requirements
- Wireframe design.
Communicate, Communicate and Communicate:
The best way for a founder and developer to stay in the same phase is to have a neat and clear communication.
Founders can help the developer by making them understand the business value of the software product they are developing, the problem it’s solving, and who are the end-users for this software.
It is important for a founder to give periodic feedback and make themselves available for meeting and demo session.
Developers can help the founders by communicating thoroughly about what they are working on. The developer also needs to show often demos presentation about the software to the founder and investors. Overall, both developer and founder will work better together.
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