Myths About Software Development

Perhaps it's because programming language looks somewhat arcane from the outside. Perhaps it's because, in an age where everyone expects a quality product from development teams, users have more questions than we can answer.

Whether you're frustrated that the software engineers for your project won't just add features or the development process generally mystifies you, we're sure you've heard some myths about software development.

Here we'll try to address some popular misconceptions about development teams and the development process.

1. Adding More People Ensures a Quality Product

If the devs are too busy to add features, why not get some more software engineers? A common myth is that more hands make light work.

However, adding more people can overcomplicate a software project. Employee onboarding is time-consuming, with project managers having to explain over and over how the development process has worked so far to new staff.

Rather than adding more people, look to areas of product development that you can improve and make more efficient. Processes such as test automation and continuous integration can help you automate various processes for bug-free code. It ensures less room for error and higher quality without overcomplicating the process by adding more people.

2. Software Development Is Nothing More than Coding

It's a common myth that software development is simply bashing out endless lines of code in a chosen programming language.

In truth, software engineers do more than writing time-consuming code. It's part of their roles, but only a small part. Software engineers also act as software managers, working out kinks in the product, recommending upgrades, and designing test automation and other quality-control processes. They organize workflow to ensure the code we do write is streamlined and as close to bug-free as possible.

All this means that if you're looking to build software development teams, you need to do more than hire a couple of software engineers to do the coding. You also need project managers to see your vision through and create custom software streamlined for efficiency and customer satisfaction.

3. Absolute Certainty Exists

You can never be 100% sure that even a high-quality product is bug-free at the end of product development. Test automation has made it much easier to identify problems, but you can never say with absolute certainty that a product will behave just as you expect when it's released. This is why development teams have to issue patches, and truthfully why product development is never truly ‘finished.’

You can look at the patch notes for some high-profile games to get an impression of how hard it is to be bug-free and how weird some bugs are. We use test automation to catch as much of this as possible, but this has to continue after the product is released, or users will find what we didn't!

4. There's a ‘Best’ Programming Language

You can think of programming language in seasonal terms. In summer, you have a grill, tasty salads, because that suits the weather. In winter, you have hearty stews and root vegetables. They're both fantastic, but there's no ‘best’ choice without the surrounding conditions.

The best programming language for one custom software project may be unsuited to another. Your choice of programming language depends on the needs of the project and the expertise of the development team — playing to your strengths is essential as a software manager.

Sure, you'll never use a programming language like Liberty BASIC for a complex custom software project. However, there are so many good choices that the common myth of there being one ‘best’ programming language doesn't hold water.

5. You Can Just ‘Add Features’

A common myth about development teams is that software engineers can simply add features to improve user experience.

Software development does not work this way. While most engineers would love to add features that clients request, making them bug-free is a colossal headache for software managers.

Depending on the product features, it may require re-writing it in a new programming language to add new features. Or, it may be that the previous development teams used shortcuts, leading to poorly written code and technical debt. Either way, finding code that sticks to the plan isn't as easy as merely hiring someone to add features to an existing line of code.

Myths About Software Development

Software managers spend a lot of time drawing workflow diagrams on whiteboards and almost as much time banging their heads against these whiteboards. It's a far more low-tech field than you'd expect in a lot of ways. If you have a favorite common myth regarding software engineers or would like to learn more about our services, contact us today.