Digital Stories

In 2019, there were nearly one million unfilled software engineer positions in the U.S. alone. Evidently, long gone are the days in which technology was merely used as a tool to automate business operations and tech teams consisted of IT professionals who solved everyone else’s computer problems. Today, technology and innovation have taken center stage and are at the forefront of most businesses' competitive advantage. 

But, what good is having a tech team if it isn't aligned with the overall business strategy? 

One of the biggest impediments to a company’s ability to deliver results is the lack of communication, collaboration, and overall understanding between departments. If your tech team isn’t composed of high-performing problem solvers who know how to use their knowledge and tools to further your business goals, you may be overpaying for a beautifully written piece of code... and a few headaches. 

Whether you’re evaluating your current tech talent or you’re on the lookout for new additions to your team, we’ve compiled 5 benefits of onboarding tech teams who understand and care about your business.

#1. Seamless Integration 

Hiring new people to your team is never an easy task. According to HR professionals, it takes roughly 66 days to find the right person to fit a tech role. It’s a costly process for employers with a slow ROI. Ideally, the return is realized once the new team member gets adjusted to his or her role and begins adding value to the business. 

But, what happens when the new dev you hire thinks his or her job is only to write code? No context, just the nuts and bolts. Unfortunately, that new hire will require meticulous management and may end up creating superfluous software that completely misses market expectations.

On the other hand, devs who understand that their job is not to write code, but rather to add value to the business through code, will adjust their work to match evolving business needs, require minimal management, and foresee potential scalability or maintenance issues. 

In other words, if you onboard devs or dev teams who are aligned with your business from the start, they will seamlessly integrate into your current team and begin to add value from day one. 

#2. Problem Solvers

Whether you’re selling a product or offering a service, you will spend most of your time at work solving, mitigating, or anticipating problems. Therefore, in order for your business to succeed, every team member needs to be on the same page. 

From customer support to backend devs, everyone’s job description should aim to accomplish the same overarching goal. How each person achieves this goal is what should differ between departments. 

A high-performing tech team will align itself with the needs of the business and will utilize the tools at their disposal to find efficient solutions to problems. 

In short, be on the lookout for software engineers who not only care about the “what” or the “how,” but also the “why” of your business. At the end of the day, isn’t software development the art of solving problems? 

#3. Self Awareness

Speaking of caring about the company’s “why,” tech teams that are aligned with your business strategy are self aware. They understand the role they play in the bigger picture. Writing code or developing a software solution is merely a means to an end, not the end itself. 

As a result, these senior devs won’t just execute the assignment to conclude the tasks at hand. Instead, they will strive to understand other department goals and write code with the end user in mind.

More importantly, they will speak the same language as the rest of your team. They will know that the main goal isn’t to create an overly complex software solution, but rather to create a software solution that meets customers’ needs. 

#4. Self-Management 

Similarly, when you work with devs who are aligned with your overall business strategy, time spent managing and motivating your team is significantly reduced. 

In the worlds of both business and tech, time is of the essence. Therefore, streamlining software releases is one of the top priorities within tech departments. Product owners and managers must find the perfect balance between deploying code fast while also maintaining the quality of their products. But, how can they properly focus on this when most of their time is spent managing the product backlog and holding devs accountable to deadlines?

Fear not! Having devs who share the same understanding of success as both you and your company’s stakeholders is yet another benefit of working with a tech team that is aligned with your business. They will not only develop a successful software product, but they will also respect deadlines, require minimal management, and make sure to meet customer expectations along the way.

#5. Team Players

While prioritizing qualities in your tech talent, such as ability to problem solve, self awareness and self management, will reap numerous benefits for your business; at the end of the day, you should focus on onboarding team players or developers who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help you deliver results faster. 

With increasing consumer demands, working with a tech team who is both open and collaborative is crucial to agile software development. Just as the lack of collaboration, communication, and understanding between departments oftentimes results in a company’s pitfall, the opposite is at the heart of driving its success. 

When it sounds too good to be true, but it’s actually true. 

That’s right! Devs who care about your business strategy actually exist. And, if you’ve worked with them before, you know the incomparable value they bring to your tech team. 

If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Whether you’re looking to augment your team with quality members, or if you’re in need of onboarding an entire team who gets it; we’re only a call away.