How Working as a Team Player Boosts Your Value in Tech Jobs

While many people imagine coders and developers working heads-down on solo tasks, the reality is that software developers work in teams. Being a team player is valuable across all technology roles, and working to become a solid team player will boost your career prospects and help you make meaningful contributions to the work you enjoy.

Below, we’ll cover the benefits of working on a team, what software development skills you need for team-building, and how to enhance your value as a tech team member as you advance in your career.

What does working as a team look like in tech?

In software development (and many other tech job settings), working as a team can take many forms. So much depends on the size of the organization, the nature of the project(s), and the tools available. Here are some common software development team approaches:

• Pair Programming: You’ll often work together with another developer, pooling your programming knowledge, splitting the workload, and helping each other through challenges.
• Scrum Teams: Many development teams use the Agile methodology, which is a project management approach that involves breaking a project into phases. Agile work emphasizes continuous collaboration and improvement, and cross-functional small groups bring together multiple areas of expertise to speed up development. Scrum teams are small and nimble teams dedicated to delivering committed product increments in sprints.
• Kanban Teams: Another Agile framework results in Kanban Teams, which use a flow-based approach that relies on a visual map of the project. Teams and workers pull in and address the elements they are most able and eager to solve. Compared to Scrum, Kanban teams have less defined roles and focus on continuous delivery rather than sprints toward specific goals.

Our Pathway Program provides support so our graduates can enter the job market confident and prepared. During this program, we encourage peer review, teamwork, and growing as a group through elevator pitches, workshops, networking, interviewing and job-seeking.

7 Benefits of Collaborative Software Development

Teamwork brings value to every project, including boosting efficiency, creative innovation, and project success. Here are more benefits of teamwork for software development:

1. Diversity of skills, experience, and ways of thinking bring broad perspectives, different ways to solve problems, and varied tech skills to every project.
2. Knowledge sharing happens organically during the project as team members share insights and best practices that foster a continuous learning environment.
3. Faster and more effective problem-solving is the result of looking at each challenge from different angles and coming up with novel solutions. More minds think through the issues and implement the solutions. Teams can work through more development cycles faster than they could with one person working alone.
4. Innovation is a common outcome of collaborative software development approaches. Moving beyond the limits of a single person opens up new opportunities.
5. Adaptability comes with speed when many people are working together in an Agile environment. Changes in project requirements and technology are common and teams can handle them well.
6. Improved quality is possible with more eyes catching errors earlier, and many people testing and conducting code reviews. There’s a smaller chance something will slip through the cracks, as the risks of delays are minimized.
7. Motivation and high morale are often cited by tech developers working on effective teams. Success keeps you inspired to take on the next challenge. Professional growth is faster when you are exposed to more ideas, and have opportunities to take on added responsibility.

What collaborative software development skills do you need?

Developing your teamwork skills is just as important as building your technical abilities.

Communication is the heart of collaboration, so learning to express yourself verbally and in writing is important. Listening is equally important. Learn how to receive constructive feedback and be open to the ideas of others.

Familiarize yourself with Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban, both mentioned above. Many teams use these approaches across projects. Agile principles include giving and getting regular feedback, developing using iterative processes, and the idea of continuous improvement.

Take every opportunity to learn more about time management, conflict resolution, and leadership. Cultivating these soft skills along with your technical abilities will make you more valuable to employers.

As you progress in your career (or through an interview process), make sure employers and future managers know that you value working as a team and that you’ve invested in making yourself a valuable tech team player.

Your technology career success will depend in equal parts on your coding skills and your people skills. Becoming a team player is good for your career and increases your enjoyment of your work.

Develop your teamwork skills in a coding bootcamp. 

If you’re interested in a career in software development, learn about Tech Elevator coding bootcamps during an upcoming virtual or in-person Open House. Our team will walk you through the curriculum, which includes a focus on soft skills development and teamwork. Or, if you’re ready to get started, take our free Aptitude Test!

Written by Vinny Sanfillipo,
Senior Director, Career Development