Software developer collaboration tools for efficient teamwork
Effective team collaboration is crucial for any department, whether the team is part of a startup or a large business. Some of the benefits include:
- Increased productivity
- Shared skills and perspectives
- Better employee motivation
- Engagement of remote teams
- Financial savings
- A sense of community
Collaboration in software development teams is particularly important, because individually talented developers and software engineers need to share skills and solve problems together to work most efficiently.
Working as a team drives creative thinking, offers alternative viewpoints, and helps accelerate product development. Every team member is aware of their own role and accountability, so they can perform more efficiently, resulting ultimately in more successful software.
We’ll look at best practices for effective collaboration in software development projects, and explore collaboration tools (like RingCentral Video) that put teamwork at the heart of your company’s culture.
What is collaborative software development?
To describe it briefly, collaborative software development simply means that developers work together on open-source software, pooling know-how for effective problem solving.
Software development historically involved little collaboration, with most projects outsourced to a tech company. However, the growth of software complexity and continuous integration of different solutions mean in-house teams need to know what is required for using software so they can update websites and apps.
Why is collaborative development so important?
Software developers have to handle a huge flow of information, so team communication needs to be effective. A team that’s comfortable with sharing ideas and which displays strong communication skills will be more successful, and newcomers will feel more welcome in the group.
Being part of a team, no matter the team size, is also important for job satisfaction and engagement. Developers who are not passionate about their work may be careless, resulting in more bugs and more time spent on rewriting code.
External collaboration is also key, as teams work with clients and users to create software that meets their needs. The product team needs to communicate development processes to stakeholders in simple language. That soft skill of communicating in layman’s terms is almost as important as being literate in the many different programming languages.
If the team fails to gain a full understanding of the required solution, they could actually end up making the wrong product. So, how do developers collaborate successfully and ensure the project’s success?
How do programmers collaborate?
Pair programming and mob programming are two methods used in software and web development that help teams learn how others approach problems, and increase the number of perspectives.
In pair programming, two people solve JavaScript challenges together at the same computer. One proposes a code while the other types their suggestions and picks up any issues, before the roles are swapped. The idea is that two pairs of eyes are better at spotting mistakes.
Mob programming sees a cross-functional team gather around one screen and brainstorm solutions while one person types. This is a time-saver, as the code is reviewed in real time so there’s no need for individual code reviews.
A methodology known as “innersource” can also be used in a software project. It involves:
- Transparency
- Workload distribution
- Ongoing communication and review
- Sharing work and feedback
Developers are encouraged to share their work at an early stage, make each step in the development lifecycle visible to all, and use documentation to bring new contributors up to speed as and when the project requires.
Using version control software, team members submit work to a server with a master version of the code. It tells them if someone makes changes to the same file so they can be merged. It’s similar to the file-sharing function in RingCentral Video, which allows annotation of files by multiple colleagues without altering the original.
How do you promote team collaboration?
- Informal discussions to check how the team’s doing
- Celebrating a win together
- Sending thank-you messages in team chat
- Providing constructive feedback to encourage continuous improvement.
Must-haves in collaboration tools
There are plenty of online collaboration tools available, some more suitable than others for software development. Here are some functions to look for in useful tools for a developer:
- Communication tools
- Organizational capability
- Storage and sharing
- Integrations
Communication tools
Organizational capability
Storage and sharing
Integrations
What are the best collaboration tools for teamwork?
The most effective collaboration apps are those that give you all the tools you need in one place, saving time and money. RingCentral Video rises above its competitors because it combines communication tools with file sharing and project management for maximum efficiency.
RingCentral Video offers an all in-one collaboration hub, including:
- Team chat
- Video and audio calls
- File sharing and storage
- Task management
- Integrations
Team chat
RingCentral Video’s instant messaging service is great for fast collaboration, from quickly sharing code snippets to texting the manager a question.
Conversations can be organized by group or project for a tidy workspace, and you’ll get unlimited users and message history—for free.
Video and audio
Whether you need a short stand-up, an audio call, or a full video meeting, RingCentral Video can handle it. It’s super-easy to launch and join meetings from a browser, and the desktop and mobile apps mean remote development teams can join from anywhere.
Switch between devices, or start a meeting straight from chat. The video conferencing tool also comes with free screen sharing and recordability.
File sharing and storage
With unlimited file storage, RingCentral Video organizes all your development work in one place (including files from apps like Google Drive).
Review the backlog, discuss the roadmap, or make notes on a document—all in real time. Version control avoids confusion and keeps everyone on the same page, which is critical for software and app development.
Task management
RingCentral Video is great for keeping track of assigned tasks, which is especially handy for managing remote teams. Turn messages into tasks, tag teammates, add due dates, and file attachments. There’s also a color-coding system and a drag-and-drop function, plus automation of recurring tasks.
Integrations
RingCentral Video offers hundreds of integrations for software development teams. For example, you can pull in:
- GitHub and Bitbucket updates
- Jira alerts for bug tracking
- Jenkins job notifications
- New Relic alerts on your app’s performance levels
- Comments and edits from Confluence
- Project updates from Trello
RingCentral Video works with Mac, PC, iOS, and Android, to help you stay connected with cross-functional teams—making it an ideal tool for remote collaboration. You can also invite external partners to join your messaging, file sharing, and video conferencing.
Here’s a round-up of RingCentral Video’s best bits:
| Key feature | Free with RingCentral Video |
|---|---|
| Team chat | Unlimited users (including guests) Unlimited message history |
| Video and audio | Video conferencing for up to 100 people Screen sharing HD quality Record meetings |
| File sharing and storage | Unlimited (any size and format) Upload files in team chat Share files from other apps |
| Task management | Integrated team calendar Start chat/video from task thread |
| Integrations | Hundreds! Build your own with RingCentral APIs |
| Security and support | Enterprise-level security Chatbot support, web self-service, Knowledge bases |
Since it offers features you’ll only find in the higher pricing plans of other apps, we think RingCentral Video is the best tool available for team collaboration.