Dmitriy N. Full-Stack Developer

How to communicate with developers

Developers treat reasonable requests with respect and comply with them more quickly.

Be clear about your requirements

The mantra you should remember sounds like the more accurately you describe the project or functionality you want to see, the more you'll like the result. It's important to convey to the developers in detail what the finished product looks like in your head (or in the head of the customer, the CEO). Be specific and make sure that by all the features you mean the same thing.

Don't talk about code if you don't know it

When speaking to developers, don't try to show your superiority and pretend that you know the things that you don’t know in reality.. Don't try to use pseudocode when talking to programmers. You will only be laughed at.

Avoid scope changes

You've made a project plan, and your developers are working hard on it. Suddenly someone in management decides to make a "scope change," jeopardizing the project deadline.

If a scope change is unavoidable, it's best to have an informal meeting with the developers first to warn them of the likely change. Be prepared to intelligibly explain why the change is happening and document the new requirements.

In reality, developers are people just like everyone else. Communicate with them in a respectful manner, and be forthcoming with details and changes. Developers are the most important part of the team: they create the software that drives business growth and development. Without them, your company will definitely stagnate.

Communicating with programmers will be different from interacting with other staff, as they are often not the most socially active people.

Speak accurately and to the point

This advice may seem obvious, but not everyone understands what they're talking about when it comes to a product. Before you meet with developers, figure out your goals, make a plan, or write down ways to achieve them. The more you know about the subject of the conversation, the more effective the communication will be.

Document your goals

It's important to document everything because the documents make everything easy and help stick to the project outline. If you have a well-written document of your goals and processes, it will give your developers a clear idea of what needs to be done. This tool will make your programmers' job a lot easier.

In general, we adhere to these principles with all of our team: we try to always be correct and as consistent as possible in the decisions. We believe this is the key to excellent results.