The software industry is huge and getting larger every day. An estimated 21 million people work in the software development industry, and there is an ever-increasing demand for those who have software engineering or development skills. This demand can be eased a bit by making each individual software engineer more efficient and accurate so that projects get completed more quickly. The right software development project management tools can help to do just that.
In a market as competitive as the software industry, you should take advantage of any opportunity to get your company to the top of the heap and keep it there. The technology that drives the digital world changes rapidly and frequently. Any company that wants to stay competitive must be able to adapt quickly. While skilled developers are a start, and nothing can get done without them, the software development tools they use can help them do their jobs faster and more accurately.
The right software development, performance analysis, and project management tools and platforms can speed up the software development process without sacrificing quality. This is the way to make a name for your company and keep it relevant.
What Are Software Development Tools?
A software development tool is any computer program that assists the developer by taking on some of the more mundane tasks associated with programming. This includes software that works to edit, support, maintain, and debug applications, programs, and frameworks. Software development tools may also help to create the necessary applications, frameworks, and programs needed to accomplish those tasks. Many of these tools increase developer productivity by automating tasks so the developer is freed up to continue work on the design, creation, and programming aspects of their job.
There are many types of development tools on the market. These include:
- Performance analysis tools
- Linkers
- Debuggers
- Compilers
- Assemblers
- Code editors or coding tools
- Graphical user interface (GUI) designers
Not all of these types of tools are necessary for every project. Which type you need depends on the types of projects your development team will be taking on, your company's work culture, and the skill sets of the members of your team.
Benefits of Using Software Tools
The exact benefits you will realize by using software development tools depend in large part on you choosing the right tools for the job. The wrong software development, performance analysis, or project management tools may cause delays or add to your team's workload. This is the opposite of the effect these tools should have on your development process. If you find and use the right tools, then you can expect to have at least the following benefits.
Tracks Progress
The software development project management tools and performance analysis tools provide an easy way to track the progress of the project. Not only can you can keep an eye on the progress of the project as a whole, but through the use of performance analysis software, you can track the effort and contributions being made by each individual team member. Some of these tools use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict upcoming workload bottlenecks or other issues so that work can be reassigned before these problems result in delays.
If the project is proceeding more slowly than expected, you will know exactly which team member to light a fire under or whether the delay is being caused by ineffective workload division or factors outside of the team's control. By the same token, if things are progressing more rapidly than expected, you will know whether to thank the whole team for their efforts or just a select few.
Streamlines Development Workflow
The right collaboration tools for software development will not only help make the tasks of each individual team member flow more smoothly but also help keep the work flowing smoothly through the pipelines.
The more efficiently the pipelines flow, the less delay there will be from one stage of development to the next. There will also be less need for interference from task managers or product managers. This streamlining of the workflow may make a significant difference in the amount of time required to bring a project from inception to code completion.
Customized Features to Meet Your Needs
No matter how powerful the tools you choose are, they will not help your software development team to succeed if they don’t match your team’s needs. A software development tool that helps you to quickly and easily assess a website’s load, assets, and memory use will not do your team much good if they are focused on creating back-end software.
In addition to finding the right software, consider choosing tools that are customizable to meet your exact needs. This way, all of the powerful advantages they have to offer you are directed to the areas where they can be most effective.
Tools for Software Development Teams by Category
The following is a list of software development tools, divided into groups based on the tasks they are able to accomplish for you. This should help you to narrow down your choices for the best software development tools to meet your needs.
Project Management Tools
The best project management tools help to define a need, design a solution, and make a plan to create that solution, including allotting resources and probable time expenditures for each step, and implement the plan. They're a great resource for product managers and can drastically shorten the software development process. The following are some of the top-rated project management tools and some notable features of each.
Jira
Created by Atlassian, Jira is a flexible tool that allows teams to easily plan and manage their projects, track and report on their progress, and track down any issues so your team can present you with bug-free code. It's available in several different versions, including Jira Service Desk, Jira Core, and Jira Software. This allows you to choose the version that has the features you need without paying for those you don’t.
Some of Jira’s more useful features include agile methodology, the ability to estimate the time needed to fix issues, the ability to bring data from control tools, and the choice to view reports in the form of pie, burndown, and burnup charts, among others.
GitHub
GitHub was designed less as a project management tool and more as a social network platform for developers. That being said, it's a powerful collaboration tool for software development, as it allows team members to interact with those inside and outside the team to brainstorm and discuss solutions. It also helps task managers to track issues and get project updates.
Some of GitHub’s more useful features include a wide-open codespace where developers can code in various programming languages, build, preview, test, and debug various components of their work, and deploy the completed project. Members of the GitHub community are encouraged to review and collaborate on each other's work, either as open-source or in private projects.
Monday.com
Monday is a team management tool that's based in the cloud. Its platform makes it easier to track workflows and run projects. It also creates transparency in the workflow, leading to a more open work culture with lines of communication that run from upper management to every employee.
Some of Monday.com’s more notable features include visual planning and progress tracking across different projects, the ability to see spreadsheets, checklists, files, and conversations in one place, and the use of CRM software to follow sales contacts through the delivery pipeline. It also easily integrates with commonly used applications and services, including Google Drive and Calendar, Excel, Trello, Slack, and Dropbox.
Habitica
Habitica is a task management platform that grew out of the RPG culture. Users create their own task lists and are rewarded or penalized depending on whether they complete their given tasks on time. If you're trying to create or maintain an easygoing, fun-loving culture in your workplace, then Habatica is a great way to track an individual's or the entire team's progress.
There's no need for the task manager to call attention to those who are struggling to complete their tasks — the individual and the whole team will be aware of everyone’s progress based on the scores they rack up.
One of the more notable features of Habitica is that each team member can be scored individually in addition to having a compiled team score to track overall progress. The goals to be achieved are completely customizable and can include tasks to be completed once, daily, or in any time frame. The waiting tasks are color-coded by priority, and the more quickly a task is completed, the higher the score given, so the competitive members of your team will be even more driven to get tasks done ahead of schedule.
Performance Analysis Tools
Performance analysis tools are used to measure the performance of applications. They measure the performance of the application while it's in use and use this data to analyze, interpret, and predict current and future performance issues. They're used by developers to find and resolve issues and streamline the software development process and allow for rapid development. The following are some of the top-rated performance management tools and notable features of each.
LoadNinja
LoadNinja is a performance analysis tool that gives its users the advantage of running tests against real-world sites and applications. It is cloud-based and uses AI to interpret and analyze the data collected from load testing to help find performance bottlenecks and other potential issues. This tool is a great help to teams that develop front-end software, as, according to the LoadNinja website, it can cut down the time needed to test and receive results by as much as 60%.
Some notable features of LoadNinja include its TrueLoad technology, which runs your software tests against real browsers at scale, and the ability to automate testing while receiving results in real time.
NeoLoad is a performance testing and analysis software platform that gives its users the framework to create a single standardized testing approach throughout the entire business. The entire workforce can share testing assets and review data and results both during and after the testing. This streamlines the work process along the entire pipeline by reducing the need for multiple testing runs and ensures that all team members are getting the same results at the same time.
Notable features of NeoLoad include set it and forget it automation of the testing parameters, the ability to run tests in the cloud, in-depth and accurate analysis of testing results, and infrastructure monitoring.
LoadRunner
LoadRunner software is designed to simplify the process of project-based testing. It supports testing across a wide variety of protocols and more than 50 different applications and technologies.
Some of LoadNinja’s more notable features include an autocorrelation engine that can quickly identify performance issues, flexible testing scenarios, and the ability to conduct continuous testing.
Programming Tools for Developers
Software developers use programming tools to help them create, edit, test, and debug their software more quickly and easily. They usually offer the developer the ability to automate many of these tasks, freeing them up to work on the coding and engineering aspects of their work.
Evernote
Evernote is a software platform designed to allow users to organize and store important data. While not designed specifically for software developers, it can help them to streamline their workload by keeping all of the information they need, including dates, contact information, personal notes and images, and documents in one space, accessible anywhere.
Notable features of Evernote include the ability to automatically sync to all of your devices, the ability to add images, text, audio files, and scanned information into your notes, and flexible and powerful search capabilities.
Code Climate
Code Climate’s Velocity is designed to analyze the data compiled from Jira and other software development tools and use them to give you insights into how to further streamline and speed up your development processes and delivery pipelines.
Some notable features of Velocity include the ability to predict performance bottlenecks before they slow down the process, the ability to see your entire pipeline, from concept to implementation and everything in between, and automatic coaching based on collected data to increase the professional development of every member of your team.
Atom is an open-source programming software. It was developed by GitHub to enhance computer programming through collaboration. It is free to use and runs on all of the popular operating systems. It is perhaps best known for its high level of customization and a lengthy list of third-party integrations.
Atom is, by design, simple and easy to use for even the novice developer. It supports every popular programming language and provides direct integration with GitHub.
Some notable features of Atom include its built-in package manager, and the ability to find, preview, and replace text in a single file, in multiple files, or in all current projects simultaneously. It offers compatibility and support across multiple platforms and offers its users autocomplete which saves developers the tedious task of rewriting the same pieces of code over and over again.
Atom also includes a powerful browser that makes project management easier by allowing the user to open multiple panes at the same time. From these panes, the developer can compare and edit multiple files at the same time.
Start With Finding Your Ideal Developer Team
Even the best software development tools will do little to enhance the chances of your company’s future success if you don’t have a skilled and experienced team to use them. It can be difficult to find the IT help you need, as the demand for talented software developers continues to grow faster than American colleges and universities can graduate them.
To bridge the gap between the demand and the number of qualified candidates, you should consider finding a trusted partner who can help you find the skilled help you need from outside the United States. Revelo is just such a trusted partner.
Revelo is a talent platform that specializes in finding tech talent from Latin America for North America-based companies and hire to create custom software development. We don't find our clients freelancers or outsourced help. Rather, we provide our clients access to a large pool of qualified software developers, engineers, and programmers who are ready to become full-time, remote employees of your company. These candidates will integrate themselves into your workforce and provide you with the loyalty and long-term relationships that pave the way to future success.
Revelo does more than find your skilled and experienced candidates. We also take care of all of the HR details. Once you've selected a candidate, Revelo will handle the hiring, payroll, benefits, perks, and compliance issues for your new employee. There will be no need for performance or skills testing, as it has already been done for you. All you have to do is prepare to onboard your new employee and introduce them to the rest of your team.
To find out more about the benefits of using Revelo to find your next software developer or to begin the process of finding your perfect new employee, visit our hire page.
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