Software product development is often viewed from a technical point of view, but it’s people who make software. McKinsey studies show that two-thirds of software development projects experience budget overruns, with an average overrun of nearly 30%. And some projects can go very wrong. According to Harvard Business Review, one in six projects had cost overruns of over 200%.
These problems are largely due to people, not code and hardware. No matter how objective someone is, their emotions will impact their work, especially when it comes to the tension we often see between product and tech.
In this episode of Ascendle Unscripted, Ascendle’s Director of Software Engineering, Clint Edmonson, and Director of Product Strategy, Jason Ling, sit down with Michael Cinquino to talk about the communication challenges that software development teams face and offer solutions.
Challenges in Design and Product Development Stages
If you’re an engineer or close to one, you know how they can react when asked to do something they think is impossible, or if they have a concern that isn’t recognized. Often, conflicts result from engineers and product teams speaking two different languages.
Clint has experienced this first hand: “I’ve seen it surface in a lack of discussion, as well as hostility and shouting matches. At its worst, it’s like you’re at a funeral where nobody wants to speak up.”
Jason Ling points out that often, miscommunication between product and engineering teams ends up in total disdain for the other side or complete checkout, like “zombies.” Most of us have experienced these problems with work teams, and the question is, what can be done to fix them, or better yet, prevent them from occurring in the first place?
Understanding Each Other’s Language And Resurrecting Teams
So how can teams raise disengaged “zombies” from the dead and get them to work together?
Jason reminds us that “you can’t force a culture” and recommends using good communication tools and enforcing habits that support constructive communication.
“It’s multimodal,” Clint says. Different teams have different communication modes. Ascendle often uses Slack as a realtime communication tool, which serves a variety of modes of meetings, updates, and discourse.
Michael points out that it always helps to meet in person, where body language is much easier to read, and people can open communication channels that may be completely closed when using digital communications. Overall, it’s better to use broad communication paths to ensure positive, productive communications and smooth-running teams instead of checked-out “zombie” teams.
Building Collaborative Workflows to Achieve The Desired Product Vision
A strong product development team is an energized and happy team, Clint points out. Ideally, each individual in the group feels like they are being heard, and are valued team members. He also talks about how you should strive for a “state of flow” where communications are running smoothly and everyone is in sync with other team members.
Ideally, Jason says, team members should feel like “I know what I need to do. I know what I own. I know what I support.”
Leadership Strategies To Create Excellent Products
Clint believes that coaching can greatly benefit team leaders by helping them understand communication breakdowns, enhance their conflict management skills, and build strong team dynamics and relationships.
“When things work well, the product’s quality is superior,” Clint says. For example, screens that differ slightly and function differently than the UX designer intended can be the result of breakdowns in team communication, where one side may not be talking to the other side. While users may not be able to put their fingers on slight problems in product design, both Clint and Jason agree that when things are going right, everyone involved can “just feel it.”
Ascendle’s Resources For You
To build strong product development teams that build great products, getting teams working well together involves using good communication tools and people skills as well as engineering skills. If you’re looking for support refining your product development practice, we can help.
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