There are lots of myths and misconceptions about software development, which end up confusing everyone from the end-user to the project manager, and even software developers themselves.
Taking an assumption like this could be harmful if you’re thinking about outsourcing software development or getting into developing software. Software engineers are generally viewed as stereotypically strange by many people who are accustomed to stereotypes.
To dispel some of the most common myths about software development, we wrote this article. Both newcomers to the field and former programmers looking to build software should find it useful.
Languages have advantages over each other
You may hear that one language is far better than another when you listen to developers praise the language they use. Nevertheless, each language does serve a distinct purpose. There is no such thing as a better language, so it’s impossible to say for sure. The answer might depend on where you live, just as if you ask whether French or Italian is better.
As with programming languages, the benefit of one method will depend on the task at hand. It is common to need to know more than one language to accomplish a single task. In other words, the programming world is best viewed as a joint effort, not a competition.
It is faster and more efficient to develop if there are more people on the team
We constantly hear about how we can add more developers to the team after we have done our job during the planning phase, thereby accelerating the software development process.
It’s far from being as mechanical as manufacturing in reality. It’s rarely a good idea to add people to a software project that’s already in progress. It may even take longer in some cases.
Although it might seem counterintuitive, here is what you need to know:
Adding new team members requires communication and onboarding. Your product development time is not spent here.
By adding team members, this risk can be minimized, but only by organizing the process properly. By having more team members, you can maximize their value.
Remote software developers are worse than in-house developers
Those who believe that their developers are out of their view and based in remote locations can’t control them don’t understand how reality works. There is no motivation, and they are not accountable. Their results are poor as well.
The truth is very different from this. Remote work has a long tradition in the tech industry, and tools and company cultures very well support remote work. Dispersed teams can easily collaborate on projects thanks to modern project management practices, effective communication tools, and project management systems.
The main difference between remote teams and in-house developers is the effort, professionalism, and enthusiasm they put into the product. Outsourcing has proven to be successful for companies that have done so. Further, for established outsourcing companies, the success and satisfaction of their clients are of utmost importance. They are therefore adapted to working remotely.
Linear and predictable processes underlie software development
Software is often compared to the construction of a house by following a blueprint. Everything will be fine if the team stays on track. The opposite is true, unfortunately.
It’s possible to develop software in short-term and small projects that are straightforward and predictable. It is fairly predictable to build a landing page, which can be fixed in time. Those are the best situations to use fixed-price contracts. It will be easier to execute a product development process as long as all requirements are well-documented and are clearly defined, the appropriate technology stack is chosen, and the team communicates frequently.
In contrast, today’s requirements don’t lend themselves to a sequential production flow like the waterfall software development lifecycle (SDLC). Due to this, agile methodologies such as the Scrum framework are favored by many development teams throughout the world.
Development teams often cannot estimate a project’s completion date correctly. Because of this, they emphasize planning and consider each feature thoroughly from the beginning. However, things change faster than ever before, and developer requirements rarely remain consistent throughout the development cycle. Both external and internal changes can affect the software in production. Agile can accommodate this as well.
Programmers are only capable of writing code
The creator of that myth is not a programmer. A computer program can solve problems that go beyond IT alone, as the development process is much more complex.
The developers of software need domain knowledge and an in-depth understanding of the subject area to deliver a quality product. The skills they require to go far beyond simply knowing how to write code and using their preferred tools.
The programmers who build solutions for a particular industry tend to be curious and enjoy that industry. Blockchain developers, for instance, have an understanding of the fintech sector since they specialize in building blockchain solutions.
As much development as possible should be done
Plan and gather requirements to achieve the best results for most projects. Furthermore, most solutions involve considerable support and development over several years. We aren’t done with the project once the solution is complete (see below for another common myth that we dispel). Maintenance, updates, and support are also important parts of the process.
The productivity of your developers will likely drop dramatically if you force them to work long hours to speed up the development process. The pace of software development should be kept steady, even if momentum is important.
The process of adding new features is quick and easy
According to this myth, the requirements for development are only basics, which can be added later. This implies agile is not about planning and documentation but merely about getting work done. There’s a problem with everything.
Projects that fail to focus on the requirements will result in losses of time and money. It is important to have proper documentation that accelerates the development process and improves the quality of the final product. Usability, time-to-market, and budget can be affected by feature creep and scope creep. Furthermore, if requirements constantly change, then the product cannot be adequately tested before it is launched.
That’s why it makes sense to leave some room for re-design of the software application – but only if the core is well thought out.
When the team follows its plan, everything will be okay
A lot of attention to detail and coordination are crucial to the process of software development. Therefore, planning is imperative, especially in the early stages of development, when every possible feature should be considered.
There will be times, however, when things will not go as planned. Developers might need some flexibility because requirements might not remain constant. Planned solutions must be understood only as preliminary hypotheses that are subject to constant revision.
You aren’t going to achieve great results if what you build matches requirements that aren’t applicable anymore.
There is no need for testing
The value of Quality Assurance and Testing is often overlooked by people who think they are not an essential part of software development. A project’s success is determined early by doing that.
It is often the case that businesses developing software abandon testing, arguing that it is too time-consuming and expensive. By applying QA mechanisms such as code review to test automation, we can significantly reduce development time and have effective methods of measuring the quality of software at every stage of development. Engaging testers as early as possible can help companies build high-quality software.
When a product is released, the project comes to an end
Software products are living organisms, despite what they might sound like. Change is a part of their lifecycle. Additionally, both the trend of the market and new technologies are constantly changing as well, from consumer preferences to business trends. Added functionality and improved features would also be welcomed by users.
Because of this, releasing a product to the public does not mean an end to the project at all. Any bugs reported by the end-users still need to be addressed, and the product needs to be maintained. Maintaining the smooth performance of software solutions requires constant teamwork.
