11 Roles in a Software Development Team

Personal summary from this site:
https://alcor-bpo.com/10-key-roles-in-a-software-development-team-who-is-responsible-for-what/

In a nutshell:

PM, PO, BA, EM, SA, SD, UX/UI Designers, QA-E, SM, Testers, TL

PM (Product Manager)
PO (Product Owner)
BA (Business Analyst)
EM (Engineering Manager)
SA (Software Architect)
SD (Software Developers)
UX/UI Designers
QA Engineers
SM (Scrum Masters)
Testers
TL (Team Lead / Tech Lead)

Related links:

Role for gathering requirements

More detailed:

Product Manager (PM)
- oversees the entire development process
- steers it towards successful market entry
  Responsibilities
- crafting and implementing strategies,
- planning and monitoring product KPIs
  Usually
- set the ambitious goal of achieving company targets through their products
- keep a keen eye on competitors,
- thoroughly analyze the market,
- generate ideas, and manage pricing policies
- control and plan tasks [NRP],
- closely interact with
  - developers,
  - product owner,
  - marketing specialists,
  - sales reps, and
  - stakeholders
- collaborate with practically everyone,
- in charge of holding meetings and taking care of meeting facilitation [PA] [NRP]
- accepting or rejecting ideas,
- overseeing technical implementation [PA] [NRP], and
- managing documentation and maintenance [NRP]
Product Owner
- accountable for maximizing the value of a product
  Need to
- understand the client's specific needs [NRP]
- define goals
- create a cohesive vision for each member of a software development team
- to wear many hats [NRP]
- being involved in
  - business strategy,
  - product design,
  - market analysis, and
  - project management [NRP].
- PO are often confused with project managers and business analysts.
  - BA: focus more on the technical aspects of the development process [NRP]
  - PO: are more into the profitability of the end product [SSC]
- Primary responsibilities:
  - crafting a compelling product roadmap [NRP],
  - maintaining a backlog [NRP],
  - acting as a liaison between the development team and stakeholders [NRP],
  - evaluating feedback [NRP], and
  - ensuring maximum value to the end-users.
- Role demands
  - strategic thinking [NRP],
  - practical communication skills [NRP], and
  - a deep understanding of business objectives and end-user needs [NRP]
- to guide the team towards successfully creating a high-quality and market-aligned product.
Business Analyst
- study and gather all information about the product [NRP],
- outline the target audience’s needs, and
- act as a bonding agent between the market and engineers [SSC]
- analyze users’ behavior/concerns [SSC]
- compile product enhancement and development recommendations
- As soon as the product is ready, BAs analyze
  - whether this product actually resolves market problems
  - its importance for end users.
Engineering Manager
- as conductors who work face-to-face with every team member
- gain a deep understanding of the team’s performance dynamics
- cultivate a trustworthy work environment where each team member feels empowered to
- pitch ideas and share feedback openly.
- optimize the software development team structure when new developers join the team [PA],
- participate in their coaching
- Armed with a solid technical background [PA]
- juggle the responsibility of selecting the best engineering solutions for product realization
- analyze potential challenges and avert them with the help of tech instruments
Software Architect
- takes the lead in orchestrating the internal arrangement of the software and
- aligning it with product requirements and available resources
- Grounded in business needs,
- outline technical and functional instruments essential for product development
- not only a planner but also hands-on in the development process
- craft the very design of the system
- should have a strategic vision
  - plan for software enhancement, extension, and adding new features
- a master of optimization,
- navigates the complexities to find the optimal technical solutions
Software Developers [PL]
- programmers
- the wizards who bring the code to life
- use various programming languages, frameworks, and libraries to make it possible
  3 ranks of coders due to their experience
- Junior (1-3 years of experience),
- Middle (3-5 years of experience),
- Senior (7-10+ years of coding)
  specializations
  - full-stack developer
  - front-end developer
  - back-end developer
- SD collaborates closely with other team members
  - designers,
  - testers,
  - product engineers, etc
UX/UI Designers
- User experience (UX) and user interface (UI)
- may be distinct but harmoniously intertwined
- demand a blend of creativity and technical prowess
  UX designers
- ensure the browsing experience and features are accessible to users
- meticulously analyze the target audience’s behavior
- to sculpt an interface that guides users effortlessly through the product
  UI designers
- the visual maestros
- shape the layout and design elements
- fonts, colors, forms, sounds, and animations are their instruments
- crafting a visually appealing and intuitive interface
- The UX/UI designer often wears both hats
QA Engineer
- the guardians of product quality
- often enter users’ shoes to identify whether the software works properly and meets quality standards [NRP]
- stay active throughout the entire development process
- to see weaknesses for improvement [NRP]
- to supervise the testing process [NRP]
- QA automation engineers must
  - be aware of the testing theory and types
  - have coding skills [NRP]
- What they do
  - test the software with the help of the script they have written,
  - automating the testing process
  - conduct some analytics
  - compile a bug report [NRP]
    - describing all actions that led to this or that bug
Scrum Master
- Following agile principles,
- apply scrum ideas to guide the team
- dynamic and multifaceted role
- organizing daily stand-ups
- gathering feedback
- conducting one-to-ones
- iron out the obstacles that hinder a team’s performance and progress
- SM play a pivotal role in:
  - sprint planning,
  - determining durations, and
  - outlining tasks for each cycle
- meticulously control the backlog during sprints,
  - utilizing boards like Trello or Jira
- overview and analyze the previous sprint,
  - considering all pitfalls and successfully completed tasks.
- defining the next sprint, and the cycle repeats
- motivating the team
- fostering communication among its members
Testers
- meticulously identifying potential software defects, bugs, or any issues that might vex an end-user
- compile detailed reports with recommendations for improvements
- reviewing test plans,
- assessing and analyzing product specifications and requirements,
- mapping out testing strategy
Team Lead or Tech Lead [PA]
- responsibilities include
  - reviewing the code,
  - enhancing the team’s technical skills through mentoring,
  - addressing practical problems that arise during the development stage.
  - prioritize the tasks,
  - maintain cross-team connections, and
  - orchestrate the overall working process
  - allocate the tasks reasonably
  - boost team motivation & morale,
  - give feedback, and
  - cover routine questions about vacations/days off