Garnering the Power of Collaboration Tools in Software Development
Collaboration is essential to the success of any software project. Principles like Agile and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery strive to make collaboration more straightforward, and teams and enterprise organizations are beginning to embrace Agile and a whole set of frameworks that make seamless collaboration possible; this is where choosing the most appropriate collaboration tools for your software product development project is essential.
With the rise of COVID in 2019, tools for collaboration became even more present and necessary in the workplace. As employees began to work remotely, the need for effortless communication, both in-person and remote, became increasingly apparent.
Why Do Software Dev Teams Need Collaboration Tools?
Collaboration tools provide many benefits to software dev teams and the other teams and larger organizations they must work with.
- Increased productivity – streamlined communication leads to fewer misunderstandings and setbacks that halt productivity.
- Shared skills and perspectives – new ideas can emerge from partnerships that may not have been otherwise explored.
- Better employee motivation – employees will be happier and more excited to come to work, knowing they get to work alongside their peers.
- Financial savings – increased productivity necessarily leads to financial gain.
Best Collaboration Tools for Software Development
Now that we’ve understood the benefits and reasons for improving collaboration at the team and company level let’s look at some of the collaboration tools you can use to facilitate better teamwork across groups at your organization.
GITHUB | SLACK | GOOGLE DRIVE / GOOGLE DOCS |
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How Do You Promote Team Collaboration?
Before you dive into using these tools, it’s important to understand that tools and tech will not improve collaboration if an environment that facilitates collaboration has not been established within the organization.
Every employee should be encouraged to communicate both their ideas and their concerns. There should be clear and established routes for communication, and employees should be onboarded to these routes when they join a team. Additionally, a judgment-free, idea-sharing culture should be nurtured by employees at all levels of the company.