Things Developers should know before getting into Product Development
Things Developers should know before getting into Product Development
One of the common responsibilities / activities, we associate with developers, is Product Development. Developers can now use their talent in a better way. In simple terms, product development is the creation of a new product. This gives new benefits, to the end user.
Developers can look forward to have a good career in product development. They will develop the capability to take independent, technical decisions. But, there are certain things; developers have to be aware of.
Life as a Product Developer
A product developer will have his job cut out for him. He will work on developing creative and innovative products and applications. These will be different from the existing applications and have enhanced functionalities.
These products have to be comfortable for the end customer who will be using them. They will have to work well in real time environment. Hence, product developers should be aware of certain basic requirements.
Pre-Requisites and Skill Sets for Product Developer
Understanding the client and his need
This is a very basic need for every developer, either fresh or experienced. The client can be either a new client or an existing client. Developers must have the ability to meet their expectations.
Understanding of the Market and Competitors
Understanding market trends are very important. This will help the developer in studying how competitive the market is. Additionally, he should also be aware of who the immediate competitors are. The behavior of these competitors will go a long way in helping the developers to develop a new product. This product will be unique and different from the existing products. It will help if the product developers have a brief idea about market dynamics.
Understand Business Values
Developers will do well to understand the value addition behind developing the product. Understanding the value behind a certain business prospect will help the developers. They can now take critical decisions, in connection with product development.
A product developer will have to think about prioritization, planning and the designing.
Have the basic skill sets required for developing the required product
For a developer, it is mandatory to know about new technologies. How to integrate these new technologies with existing technologies is even more exciting. While knowing the various platforms and seasoned languages is an asset, how best to use them will be good. This will help the developers in developing the best product.
Build Prototypes
Prototypes play a very important role in the product development phase. This gives an opportunity for the developers to develop different versions. They can present these versions to the customer and take his feedback. This also helps the developer to collect feedback by conducting a market survey. Prototypes allow developers to work according to end user's need.
Ability to develop Test Jigs and Programs, suiting the Project
Testing is an important phase for any product or application. It is important for the developers to have an idea about building test jigs and testing software. This can help them to introduce any changes if required. Testing also helps developers to integrate new software with available software.
Be time and budget conscious
This is critical for all developers, including the one, who choose product development. Meeting customer deadlines is of paramount importance. At the same time, it is good to focus on budget limitations, laid down by the organization.
Pro-active Approach
The developers should have the ability to contribute in a team environment. He should have a pro-active approach and work well in tandem with the entire team. He should be in a position to suggest new ideas and take part in customer reviews. This will help him in a long way to help in developing the best product.
Leadership Qualities
This is a very important quality for a product developer to have. At any given point of time, he should be in a position to lead a team if required. He should be in a position to attend to customer requests, in the absence of a senior team member and take a call.
Conclusion
Product development is a popular area and much in demand with developers. For e.g. agile product development has been a big success, ever since it arrived. To get the best result, a developer must understand what it is and why it matters. You’ll also want to look at the realities of the product you’re actually going to be making. This could be the beginning to a very good result at the end. Hence, before making any significant attempt to get into product development, you’ll want to look very closely at the principles and beliefs you and your organization hold about product development.
