A to Z Software Development Roles

I’m Chris Saunders, a technologist passionate about product delivery and innovation in the technology industry. This blog is where I share my insights, experiences, and ideas around building and delivering exceptional products.

Software Development Roles: Skill Attributes Visualisation

This 3D scatter plot visualises various software development roles based on three key skill attributes:

  • Project Timeline (x-axis): Representing the spectrum from project start to project end.
  • Focus Orientation (y-axis): Spanning from people focused to technology focused roles.
  • Thinking Style (z-axis): Differentiating between operational thinking and strategic thinking.

Each marker represents a distinct role, with its position indicating the relative emphasis on each of these attributes. Use the chart to explore how different roles balance these skills. How one person in a 3D space could assume another role nearby in the space.

Click the "Reset Chart View" button to reset the chart to its default view.

Click the "Set Y and X Front View" button to set the chart to see Y on the left and X on the bottom.

Click the "Set Y and Z Front View" button to set the chart to see Y on the left and Z on the bottom.

Interacting with the 3D Scatter Plot:

Zoom:

  • Mouse Scroll: Scroll the mouse wheel up and down to zoom in and out.

Rotate:

  • Click and Drag: Click and drag on the plot to rotate it in any direction.
  • Right Click and Drag: Right-click and drag on the plot to pan it left, right, up, or down.

Reset Chart View:

  • Reset Button: Click the "Reset Chart View" button below the plot to reset the view to its default position (Y axis left, X axis bottom, and Z axis depth).

Explore:

  • Hover: Hover over a data point to see additional information about the role it represents.

GROW Maturity Model for Product Delivery

The GROW Maturity Model includes four stages that chart the product team's journey from laying the groundwork to fostering a culture of continuous innovation and delivering world-class products.

  1. Groundwork: Quick, basic efforts meet immediate needs, characterised by reactive product delivery, informal processes, and minimal structure.
  2. Repeatable: Processes evolve through structured workflows that incorporate standard practices, Agile values and principles, and customer feedback to improve consistency in product delivery.
  3. Organised: Product delivery is optimised for scalability, driven by data insights, with automation boosting efficiency and Agile-DevOps integration enabling a responsive workflow.
  4. World-Class: Product delivery is accomplished by balancing people, processes, and technology while adapting to customer feedback and market changes. It involves fostering a culture of experimentation to ensure competitiveness and drive continuous improvement and innovation.

Aspects of product delivery can mature at different rates within the GROW Maturity Model, with some processes being organised and data-driven while others remain in the repeatable stage. Emphasising the need for a tailored approach where some functions drive innovation and others establish essential processes.


G - Groundwork

(Ad Hoc and Reactive)

Description: Groundwork involves preliminary or basic work, often done to address immediate needs; done quickly. This is the foundational stage, where product delivery is largely reactive. Processes are informal, and there is little to no structure in place.

Key Characteristics:

  • Processes are unstructured and tasks are completed from memory
  • Customer feedback is not systematically incorporated
  • Outcomes rely heavily on individual efforts, resulting in unpredictable timelines
  • Focus: Begin implementing fundamental software development practices and initiate the collection of structured customer feedback.

R - Repeatable

(Structured and Customer-Centric)

Description: In this phase, processes become increasingly structured and repeatable. Agile methodologies and customer feedback start to be consistently integrated into planning and delivery, with a strong emphasis on enhancing overall consistency and efficiency.

Key Characteristics:

  • Delivery follows structured, repeatable processes
  • Customer feedback is incorporated early in the product lifecycle
  • Agile practices are gaining traction across teams
  • Focus: Strengthen team collaboration, formalise the integration of customer feedback, and standardise roles and responsibilities.

O - Organised

(Data-Driven and Scalable)

Description: Organised product delivery at this stage is optimised for scalability and driven by data insights, with metrics guiding informed decisions. Extensive automation enhances efficiency, while the integration of Agile and DevOps practices fosters a responsive and collaborative workflow.

Key Characteristics:

  • Data and analytics drive product and process decisions
  • Automation is extensively used in testing, deployment, and continuous integration
  • Agile and DevOps practices are fully implemented across teams
  • Focus: Scale delivery processes using data, automation, and streamlined workflows for maximum efficiency.

W - World-Class

(Continuous Innovation and Adaptation)

Description: At the final stage, product delivery is highly mature, adapting to customer feedback and market changes. World-Class is achieved by balancing people, processes, and technology, using the right technologies with regard to risk, and fostering a culture of experimentation to remain competitive.

Key Characteristics:

  • Continuous adaptation driven by customer feedback
  • Emphasis on innovation through appropriate technologies (like AI, machine learning, and cloud services)
  • A culture of continuous experimentation and rapid iteration
  • Focus: Maintain an innovation-centric approach, ensuring products evolve with market trends and customer needs.

GROW Maturity Model Gap Analysis

A gap analysis identifies where a product team stands in the GROW Maturity Model and what’s needed to close the gaps. It recognises that different aspects of the team may mature at different rates, with some areas advancing faster than others. Here’s how to conduct one:

  1. Assess Current Stage: Review the team’s maturity across key defined areas, acknowledging that different areas may be at varying stages (Groundwork, Repeatable, Organised, or World-Class). For example build process area could be 85% repeatable and 15% organised.
  2. Set Initial Benchmark: Establish a baseline for current maturity in each area to effectively track future progress and identify areas for improvement and prioritisation.
  3. Identify Gaps: Compare the current practices of each area with the characteristics of the target stage. Identify specific areas needing improvement, such as customer feedback integration, automation, and process standardisation to achieve the next maturity level.

This gap analysis helps teams identify uneven progress across different areas, addressing key improvement opportunities and enabling certain parts to advance faster, ultimately guiding the team toward greater maturity in the GROW Maturity Model.


GROW Maturity Model © 2024 by Chris Saunders is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0       v241001

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