Types of software development team structures
First things first: being a team and communicating well is the core of the Agile approach to web development. While the traditional approach was based on individual performance, big teams, and distinct job roles, the agile software development team structure is elastic and interchangeable.
Ideally, there are 3 ways to structure a team in Agile management. Let’s break them down!
Generalists
Members of such teams hacked multitasking and can literally do anything! They have a rich skillset and juggle several roles, but never dig deeper. For example, a generalist can code and bring to life the visual elements on the frontend and at the same time, support the backend and structure the cycle between a client and a server.
Works for: small teams, technically simple software development projects, and tight timelines.
| Pros | Cons |
| Flexibility. Developers can manage multiple tasks and switch roles as needed. This makes them ideal for unpredictable and fast-changing situations. | Lack of expertise. Generalists may not have the expertise needed to do a highly specialized task. |
| Cost-effectiveness. With fewer team members, you can save money on salaries and overhead costs. | Struggles with complex projects. Due to a lack of expertise, more complex tasks may be performed inefficiently or with poor quality. |
| Improved collaboration. Generalists communicate more effectively across positions because they have more knowledge about the project. | Scaling issues. As the project grows, additional experts may be needed, making it difficult to scale with only generalists. |
Specialists
In contrast to generalists, these guys are not universal soldiers. Instead, they are experts and geeks in a way that only they know how to do their job perfectly and can’t exchange tasks with other members. In agile teams of this type, everyone works individually on software development, and it may cause a communication loop between departments.
Works for: complicated and revolutionary projects that create an innovative product and require profound knowledge.
| Pros | Cons |
| Deep expertise. Each task is done by an expert, which results in a higher quality of work, especially on more technically challenging projects. | Isolated work. Specialists frequently work on their own, which can lead to communication problems and a lack of overall knowledge about the project. |
| Efficiency. They are better prepared to deal with complex requirements and advanced tools or frameworks. | Dependency on specialists. Relying heavily on certain team members can slow down development if they are unavailable. |
| Innovative ideas. Specialists stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies to provide cutting-edge solutions. | Costly. Because specialists have more skills, they command higher salaries. And to cover different areas of your project, you’ll need more workers. This means higher costs. |
Hybrid team
This type is a combo team that unites both generalists and specialists under the same roof. As you might guess, having such a software development team structure is costly and time-inefficient as it requires a lot of time and human resources to connect people.
Works for: large-scale projects with big budgets.
| Pros | Cons |
| Balanced approach. With the flexibility of a generalist and deep knowledge of a specialist, you can improve the efficiency of both routine and advanced tasks. | Challenges in coordination. Having generalists and experts on the same software development team can lead to uncertainty about their roles and duties. |
| Adaptability combined with expertise. The expertise diversity allows the software development team to adapt to new priorities without compromising quality in key project areas. | Role misunderstandings. Without clear role boundaries, responsibilities may be repeated or left unfinished. This can result in a loss of productivity. |
| Strong problem-solving. As generalists have a broad vision and specialists focus on specific solutions, this can lead to more effective problem resolution. | Higher costs. Hybrid teams are more expensive than generalist ones, but they are still cheaper than fully specialist teams. |
How it works at Purrweb
The 3 types of the Agile team structure exist only in textbooks. In reality, every workgroup is a complex and dynamic microorganism that has a diverse set of employees as well as its own rules.
When it comes to our company, Purrweb’s web development team strategy is to have versatile team members who fully represent our expertise. We have both in-house universal soldiers and profound experts who are not only focused and meticulous but also know how to adjust. Over time, we managed to build fast and clear communication within the company, and we gladly work with any projects no matter their size or budget.
Also, part of our approach is to invest in people and to allow members to grow. For example, someone can join us as a general specialist and narrow down their expertise or the other way around. If our team members want to try developing new skills and take on more roles and responsibilities in sales, finances, and marketing, we always support and encourage them.
Software development team structure roles
After you get the idea of the main team structures, the next step is to find out who is on the software development team. The classic scheme is the following:
-
- product owner
- project manager
- account manager
- UI/UX designers
- software developers
- quality assurance (QA) engineers
Product owner (PO)
This role is to have the best idea of what the final version will look like. Product owners always got answers when the team had questions about the concept and the software development plan. Who can be the most reliable product owner in an agile team? Sometimes, clients!
Account manager
The main responsibility of account managers is to communicate with a client and foster a long-term relationship. They accompany the whole process, chat with clients, give them reports and updates about software development, as well as wish them happy birthdays, and ask how their dog is doing.
For the account manager, the main KPI is the client’s satisfaction. In some companies, a director is also an account manager to some key clients.
Project manager (PM)
Also known as a scrum master and process guru! This role is a mediator of the mobile, web development, and software development processes. They connect the team with a product owner and check that the workflow hasn’t been disrupted from the team side. When the development process is ongoing, tasks keep flooding and it is easy to miss one or overlook the deadline. If something does not go according to an initial plan, it is the PM’s responsibility to find out what happened and how to prevent the situation from repeating.
If you hear someone saying, ‘We need to speed up,’ ‘We need to evaluate risks first,’ and ‘That’s not how the process works here’ — you probably run into a project manager.
UI/UX
These guys wake up in the morning and the first thing they think of is the client. They jump in during the web development stage and make sure the interface is easy to navigate and clear. The agile team includes UI and UX experts, as well as UI/UX copywriters who know how to build good readable text and manage to fit an important note into a small and short push notification.
Software developers
These team members are in charge of tasks related to the mobile and web development, testing, and quality monitoring of the software. The development team’s role is to execute applications based on the technical requirements and the software architecture. Usually, one project requires several software development warriors of different skill levels — those who work on the front and the back, or a full-stack who can develop both.
QA engineers
Quality assurance engineers or simply, testers, are crucial people on the agile team. They look for bugs during the development stage, get rid of them in the blink of an eye, and, overall, make sure that a solution works correctly at every step of the software development process.
How software development team structure works at Purrweb
We made some mistakes and learned a lot before we figured out how to structure a team according to the Agile approach.
At Purrweb, we figuratively entrust the role of product owners to our clients because they always know better. No worries, you will not work for us 😅 When a client comes to us, they have an idea, and we have expertise. So, to be a ‘product owner’ will mean to answer our questions about the idea and say the last word, considering our concepts, suggestions, and advice. It will not require a lot of time to stay involved in a process and you can participate as much as you want to.
Yes, there was a time when we didn’t have an account manager and the process was chaotic. First communication would happen with a sales manager, then they would pass it on to a project manager, who would be responsible for both team and clients. It took us some time to grow and realize what we missed out on. Now, we have team members who work as both sales and account managers and take care of all communications with clients, while project managers are focused on inside processes of software development, and collaborate with Purrweb’s team members.
In terms of designers, we currently have two of them on each project. They collaborate and share their expertise + we have designer leads that teach newcomers and supervise projects on the design concept for software development.
Finally, at Purrweb, the team of developers also has its own team lead who manages the web development process and supervises intermediate results. Also, we prefer to teach and bring up newbies and turn them into the full-stack side of web development 😈 All jokes aside, when a developer can work on both client-side and server-side ends, it is time-efficient and beneficial for the project’s budget.
Team types by size
Software development teams can also be categorized by size. There are three main types: startups, medium businesses, and enterprises. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Startup
Startups are small but versatile. Typically, each team member has multiple responsibilities, and they prioritize agility and speed over quality.
For example, startup teams are often made up of generalists who can do everything from coding to testing. The environment in startups is rapidly changing, and priorities can shift quickly. That’s why generalists are a great fit for this team type.
Team size: 2-10 people
Consists of: founders, developers, marketing specialist, UI/UX designer, finance manager
Works for: early-stage businesses that aim to start quickly and keep evolving
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly agile | Risk of burnout |
| Innovation-focused | Lack of specialization |
| Strong collaboration | Limited resources and uncertainty |
Medium business
Medium-sized companies tend to be more structured than startups and have a proper team division, but they are still flexible.
They have a mix of specialists who perform core tasks and generalists who can handle multiple responsibilities. Mid-sized companies are focused on growth and scaling. Their teams can roll out improvements and develop new features at the same time.
Team size: 10-50 people
Consists of: founders, business analysts, PMs, team lead, developers, marketing specialists, UI/UX designers, finance managers, QA specialists
Works for: growing businesses that require a combination of flexibility and specialized skills
| Pros | Cons |
| Flexible and adaptable | Risk of burnout |
| Balanced structure | Scaling challenges |
| Cost-effective | Limited resources compared to enterprises |
Enterprise
As long-established companies, enterprises can have multiple ongoing projects or manage several products at the time.
These teams have well-defined roles and are often focused on stability and long-term success. They have specialized subteams for specific tasks, such as frontend, backend, QA, and DevOps teams.
Team size: 50+ people
Consists of: founders, business analysts, PMs, team leaders, developers, marketing specialists, UI/UX designers, finance managers, QA specialists
Works for: large businesses with projects across multiple departments
| Pros | Cons |
| Vast expertise | Less flexible |
| Access to top-tier specialists, tools, and training | Slow decision-making |
| High scalability | High costs |
How to build a successful software development team
In recent years, with the developments in technology, there has been a rising demand for professionals in the IT industry. It is expected that from 2022 to 2032, 377,500 job vacancies will be opened every year. This means that the number of professionals looking for a job is also growing. But how to choose the right candidates from a huge number of professionals?
Define your needs
Before you start recruiting, you need to clearly define the needs of your project: scope, technology stack, and required skill sets. This will help you understand what kind of professionals you’ll need. Then, you’ll be able to define your software development team structure.
We recommend that you start by hiring executives — a product manager or a CTO. They can help you with further recruitment.
Also, consider whether the project is niche or more general. If the project doesn’t involve implementing complex technologies, generalists can handle the task just fine.
Consider soft skills and cultural fit
You’ll probably want to focus only on technical skills because it will affect the quality of the product. But don’t overlook soft skills and alignment with company values either. These are important for any software development team — teamwork, communication, and adaptability are key to success in any endeavor.
Technical skills can become outdated over time. So also ask about a candidate’s attitude toward learning and growing within your company. This will help you find the perfect employee for the long term.
Define responsibilities
In the early stages, developers are often hired without defining a clear structure. The distribution of roles is something that’s thought about later. But it’s better to do it in advance, if you’d like to avoid disorganization, when the process is in a full swing.
Do not assign too many roles to one person. Give a narrow set of responsibilities so that the person is not overwhelmed with a large number of tasks and can truly focus on them and give their all.
Think about your team’s professional development
Technology is evolving rapidly, and it’s important to keep up. Neglecting professional skill development will slow the growth of your business and put you behind the competition.
Evaluate your team’s skills on a regular basis. Give the software development team access to online courses and conferences. It is also a good idea to motivate knowledge sharing. Organize meetings where team members can tell each other about new tools, methods, or frameworks. This will help your software development team stay motivated and engaged.
Set clear goals and expectations
Set clear, achievable goals from the start, this will help the team focus on them, without being discouraged. Set performance metrics to measure the quality of results and keep the team motivated. Identify the main stages of the project and create a product development schedule.
How to know if you are dealing with an effective software development team structure
When you meet an agile team, how do you know if the web development with them will be professional, dedicated and will bring high-quality results? We hear this question a lot!
There are several things to ask and look for when outsourcing software development:
Do they communicate with each other and resolve conflicts?
As we said before, communication is the key to the success of an agile team. Emotions and clashes are inevitable when you work together in any field, software development included, but healthy well-organized teams have tools to solve problems and work on misunderstandings. Don’t be hesitant. Simply ask, ‘How well do you guys communicate?’ Or question what tools the software development team uses to stay up-to-date on the work process. If the answer is anywhere between Slack, Jira, or Targetprocess, you are on the right path.
Do they have distinct job roles and a clear well-organized team structure?
The main rule of a great agile team is to have order — chaos should not be their middle name. Each team member has to be aware of what they are supposed to do in software development and where to seek help or expertise if they need one. To check it, you can just ask a team what their workflow looks like, who is responsible for each step, and who you can question about interim results.
Do they work toward a collective goal?
Most teams don’t need old-school vertical management and strict supervision because they share goals and what they fight for on a daily basis. For example, at Purrweb, we aim to help startups test their business ideas quickly, and if you ask any of our 200 team members, they will tell you that!
Are they able to work independently?
The same thing in software development, strict surveillance of mobile or web development does not do any good to a client or a team. From the client side, it takes a lot of time that startuppers do not usually have. For software development teams, control can be discouraging and kill creativity. Long story short, a good agile team can work independently without being forced to do anything.
Long story short
At Purrweb, over time we managed to build a strong professional team using the Agile flexible approach. We can’t say if we have the type, but we certainly found what works best for us and what makes web development the most effective.
Our team builds web, mobile, and desktop solutions with a focus on robust UI/UX design. We are a full-cycle team, meaning we have business analysts, developers, UX designers,, QA engineers, and project managers, so you don’t have to hire anyone else to complete a comprehensive MVP.
