Software development at its core is a complex process handled by tech experts.
But have you ever wondered what’s hiding behind the curtains of software solutions you’re using, besides their coding majesties?
Because coding and other core activities are not enough to bring a user-friendly solution and present it to the world.
Other business professionals need to jump on the bandwagon to reach the desired business goals.
There’s an entire community of intertwined professionals behind every code we make – this entourage of IT projects is the binding tissue of every software development process.
In the next few paragraphs, we’ll give you a sneak peek into the activities and duties of these invaluable people.
Software Engineers – Juniors, Mediors, Seniors, Veterans, Tech Officers
BrightMarbles Group Holding (BMGH) is primarily a tech powerhouse. Even though we gather professionals from different walks of life, we thrive on creating exceptional, user-driven, beautiful digital products and services that propel our dynamic success story.
Hence, our software engineers are the first regiment of Mibsters we’re presenting in this post. For starters, let’s specify who qualifies as a software engineer at BrightMarbles. If you go through our think tank of developers, you’ll see that most of them have 8+ years of experience in software development. A few of them are already development veterans, with dozens of completed projects for clients with a global impact.
Tech officers are driving cogs in the core software development mechanism. They make sure these projects are handled in line with industry standards. Our tech officers take an active role in technical strategy and tactical implementation, lending a hand in practical coding whenever necessary.
BM Insight: We strongly believe in leading by example, rather than beating around the bush, business-wise. Our case studies are the best indicator of our capabilities, such as the one about the mobile app our team made for the Coffee Bandit company. Read more about this collaboration and the work process behind it in our blog post Redesigning Coffee Experience.
Our clients and approach to the entire software development lifecycle are such that we accept nothing less than experience, expertise, and excellence. We also have juniors under the umbrella of BMGH, but our core focus is on mediors and seniors; our projects simply dictate such acquisition and distribution of talent.
DevOps Engineers
DevOps Engineers play a vital role in the software development process by combining their expertise in both development and IT operations. Their responsibilities include infrastructure management, system administration, and participation in release processes. An in-depth understanding of development and operations, including coding, code reviews, unit testing, and Agile methodologies, is required for success in this role.
The focus of their work is on continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) through the use of automation tools. These solutions streamline the software development process, improving efficiency and reducing errors in the building, testing, and deployment of software.
Effective communication skills are also essential for DevOps engineers as they collaborate with a variety of teams and stakeholders. They must be able to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, ensuring seamless collaboration and effective problem-solving.
Delivery Unit
Behind a successful software development project, there’s a diligent crew of distinguished testing engineers and business organization pros – the delivery unit. Let’s see who they are and what they do.
Quality Squad
Our quality consultants are the software engineers’ next of kin. It’s impossible to deliver a functional and error-free product without their diligent and committed work.
You’ve probably understood already that we’re a bit dogmatic about our Mibsters’ dedication to work and knowledge. We apply the same method to our quality squad. They’re a team of educated, hard-working testers, with substantial testing mileage. Having assured the quality of miles and miles of our code, the Mibster quality consultants are the guarantee that everything we release is ready for the end user.
Performing the tests in Agile development techniques, our testing team works hand in hand with our engineering crew. Just like all other divisions of the Marbles’ Universe, the QA Mibsters follow and implement new approaches and strategies on the testing horizon.
As a company, we advocate the shift left testing method, meaning that we test as often as possible from the outset of every development process. It allows our testers, development engineers, and project managers to keep the product polished from day one and notify the clients in real time.
Most of our testers possess the PSM 1 and PSM 2 Certificates – PSM stands for Professional Scrum Master – meaning that we take care of the quality of both the code and every software development project we work on.
We also make sure that we have enough manual and automation testers at our disposal to cover both these testing fields, in line with the clients’ specific requests.
Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Business Analysts
Project management and task organization are essential to effective and timely software development. Our project managers and scrum masters are, indeed, the supreme binding tissue behind every software development project.
Project Managers expertly steer the helm of one or more assigned projects, meticulously orchestrating every facet from inception to completion. They adeptly manage milestones, scope, quality, resources, potential risks, and financial aspects to ensure projects align with overarching goals and objectives. With a keen eye for detail and exceptional organizational skills, Project Managers skillfully navigate the complexities of project lifecycles while maintaining effective communication among team members and stakeholders. Their leadership fosters a collaborative environment, driving projects to successful outcomes and delivering value to the organization.
Scrum Masters, on the other hand, primarily focus on facilitating the Scrum framework within a development team. They work closely with the team to ensure the Scrum process is followed effectively and help remove any obstacles that might hinder progress. Scrum masters also collaborate with the product owner to refine the product backlog and ensure that the team’s efforts are aligned with the product vision and goals.
BM Insight: Scrum is the most widely used Agile framework, popular for its ease of use and effective outcomes. Scrum masters ensure their Scrum team implements Scrum values and events in their daily work. They collaborate with product owners and developers (within the team) and project managers (as out-of-team, in-the-company supervisors) to arrange the work process in alignment with the specifications. Our certified Scrum Master Tamara Petrović explains all the nuts and bolts of the Scrum framework in her blog post Scrum 101: Applying the Most Popular Agile Framework.
Product Owners possess in-depth domain expertise that empowers them to steer the software development team towards successful product delivery. They are entrusted with the crucial responsibility of crafting the product vision, strategically prioritizing features, and ensuring that the team’s efforts consistently align with the business’s best interests. By maintaining a customer-centric focus, Product Owners ensure that the software solutions developed cater to user needs and deliver maximum value to the organization.
Finally, IT Business Analysts serve as the vital link between an organization’s software development team and its business stakeholders. They leverage their comprehensive understanding of both technical and business aspects to gather, analyze, and translate business requirements into functional specifications. By doing so, they ensure that the software solutions being developed align with the organization’s objectives and meet its users’ needs. These professionals work closely with project managers, product owners, developers, and other stakeholders throughout the software development life cycle.
Security Experts
Cybersecurity is a burning issue for all businesses, regardless of their size, niche, or location. To build on this fiery metaphor, we can be so bold to say that online safety is the Olympic flame of software development. No matter how applicable your software is or how perfectly it works, it’s not considered complete until you protect it from various risks.
Enlisting dedicated full-time cybersecurity specialists is crucial for attracting new clients, retaining existing ones, and ensuring the resilience of the software you create. Our cybersec division, UN1QUELY, offers an extensive suite of services that cater to diverse cybersecurity needs. These include vCISO (Security Advisory), Penetration Testing (Offensive Security), SecOps (Security Operations Team as a Service), SOCaaS (Security Operations Center as a Service), and Developer Security Courses and Training. The UN1QUELY team works diligently on our in-house projects while leveraging their expertise to assist other businesses in navigating the intricate digital landscape securely and confidently.
BM Insight: Cybersecurity is just a word, and we don’t recommend taking words for granted in this specific field. We rather insist on certificates, passed compliance audits, and extensive documentation in terms of security standards. Our vCISO Branko Džakula is an experienced and multiply certified cybersecurity expert. In his blog post Announcing BMGH’s ISO 27001 Certification, he breaks down why having earned this certification was important for the entire holding and how it helps us stand out as a completely secure and compliant software entity.
Creative Squad
Graphic, Motion, UI/UX Designers and Videographers
Creative squad is the face of both the company and the software it makes.
In essence, effective employer branding hinges on the talents of skilled designers and videographers. These creative professionals are the driving force behind a company’s visual presentation and social media presence, adept at spotlighting and accentuating the positive aspects of the business and its employees.
With a dynamic and multifaceted creative team at its core, we’re able to effortlessly transcend the boundaries of software development, delivering an enticing fusion of creative services to our clients. By seamlessly integrating development and marketing expertise, we’re providing a holistic, unified experience tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients with flair and finesse.
BM Insight: Experienced and knowledgeable videographers are a rare species. It takes many hours of shooting, editing, and producing to call someone a good videographer. Our video artist Goran Breberina ticks all the boxes and always searches for new ways to go above and beyond. In his article Through the Lens: Skills That Make a Good Videographer, he describes the growth path to becoming a great videographer, from soft skills to editing abilities, to proper equipment.
On the other hand, UI/UX designers (user interface/user experience) are the eyes and wits behind visual solutions. They figure out what a mobile app or any other software solution should look like. Equally – or even more – importantly, these visual artists need to make it as intuitive and user-friendly as it gets. A visually stunning, yet complicated-to-use tool won’t hit the bull’s eye. The same goes for bleak but perfectly functional solutions. UI/UX designers must find that sweet spot to present the product in the best light and make users happy along the way.
BM Insight: In some aspects, the work of video designers and their UI/UX colleagues overlap, while their duties and goals differ in others. Motion is one of the concepts they have in common. Our UI/UX mastermind Marko Vladušić explains how motion galvanizes UI/UX design in his piece Fluid Magic: How Motion Design Breathes Life into Ui/UX Design.
Copywriters and Content Writers
Software engineers, tech officers, and testers know their syntax rules, for sure. However, once their job is done, someone needs to spread the word about their proficiency and efficiency. This is where the marketing team grabs the mic. In addition to the aforementioned designers and masters of promo videos, it’s good to have writers in the room.
Copywriters are here to speak (in) the brand’s voice, hence generating leads and converting them to clients. This is a simplification, but that’s the gist of it. They usually produce social media and website copies, in-app content (UX writing), video scripts, and other forms of written materials that promote their software company.
BM Insight: Some IT companies outsource their promo activities to agencies and freelancers. At BrightMarbles, we’ve concluded that having an in-house branding team drives better results in terms of our business image. They’re here to cover every success story, turn it into a case study, and present it to the public. For instance, our CXO Nevena Nemeš embodies effective communication with clients, productive interaction between our Mibsters, and brisk copywriting, usually with built-in higher values.
Content writers typically write blog posts, newsletters, and other content forms that aim at educating and informing, rather than selling. As content is broad term, bear in mind that it doesn’t only refer to the written word. Podcasts and interviews with clients, experts, and relevant in-house staff are all content bits, both in video and audio formats.
Organizing live and online events (meetups, workshops) is also necessary in IT companies, either to present your results or educate the public about certain niche topics or current affairs. Content marketers and writers usually conceptualize such occasions, help in their execution, and produce follow-up content.
Community managers and social media wizards are also part of the marketing team in IT companies, in charge of painting the brand’s picture on social networks.
BM Insight: Whenever our company organizes meetups, it’s with a higher purpose in mind. As we strongly support and practice inclusion and diversity in our business operations, we’re especially committed to ensuring absolutely equal rights and conditions for all genders. In the article Women in Tech Leadership: Shattering the Glass Ceiling, one of our marketing specialists Nastasija Trajanova follows up on the eponymous online event, held to celebrate the role of women in the IT industry.
Sales Troops, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers
The role of sales troopers is to win over new clients who need software development services for their businesses.
Some IT companies form dedicated sales teams, constantly on the lookout for new leads. In other enterprises, the company management carries out sales, i.e., connects the company to customers.
We don’t do business consulting, so it’s up to you to choose your path, sales-wise. From our point of view, some sales deals can be closed only if the top managers sit at the table.
Also, let’s not forget about account managers and customer success specialists. The former group of sales pros is focused on upselling and renewing contracts. The latter sales wizards cater to clients’ demands from day one, including the onboarding process, identifying their needs, and keeping them happy with the provided services.
BM Insight: We think it’s important to be as transparent and honest as possible in communication with both clients and workers. We always do our best to announce our Mibsters’ duties and assignments on time. Flexibility, openness to suggestions, and career shifts are all possible within the World of Marbles. Top down, we like to keep people informed and prepared for every important decision we make. In that light, have a look at the interview with our CEO Boris Berat.
Finance and Law Experts
We’ve already highlighted that software development is every IT company’s bread and butter. Once the food is on the table, it needs to be distributed in accordance with the merits, contributions, and contracts. This is where we meet finance specialists. They’re the monetary backbone of every IT company, taking care of the payroll and making sure the company follows tax regulations.
Also, the company’s C-suite must work closely with finance specialists on the company budgeting and financial strategy. For instance, annual bonuses, raises, or salary cuts need to be announced in advance to the finance department so that they can plan their tasks accordingly.
On the other hand, law experts make sure the company follows all the work regulations of the country they’re operating in; complying with the niche-related specifics to pass all the possible audits and inspections.
HR Department
The inner workings of a software development project can take various shapes. Sometimes, clients handpick developers from within an IT company for direct collaboration and communication, fostering cross-company cooperation. In other cases, clients outline their expectations upfront, checking in at key milestones to track progress. Regardless of the approach, engineers require consistent, comprehensive support.
From holding regular 1-on-1 sessions with developers and team leaders to facilitating joint meetings with clients and in-house programmers, HR specialists perform a multitude of valuable tasks for every software company. They also strengthen team bonds through team-building sessions.
Furthermore, HR teams coordinate regular employee performance reviews and contribute to work evaluations. Crucially, they help IT professionals navigate and shape their careers. Whether it’s guiding software and QA engineers or other IT industry workers through a career transition, HR specialists are indispensable resources for growth and development.
BM Insight: Thanks to tech growth spurts, the contemporary global business market is the Tower of Babel, professions-wise. With the unprecedented development of artificial intelligence, the number of jobs will certainly keep diversifying. For all these reasons, we know that lifelong learning remains one of the conceptual pillars of the software development niche. Read more about our long-term education values in the blog post Continuous Learning, written by our marketing maven Svetlana Kosić.
Conclusion
The world of software development is a rapidly evolving and forward-thinking landscape. Predicting its transformations in the coming years is no easy feat. However, with our diverse array of business professionals at the heart of BrightMarbles Group, we stand ready to continually deliver top-tier software products and services to our clients, staying at the forefront of industry innovation and exceeding expectations.
About Author
Pavle Bobić, BrightMarbles’ resident wordsmith extraordinaire. With a passion for wordplay and a keen eye for eye-grabbing marketing materials, Pavle has been producing top-quality web content and copies for fintech, IT, and eCommerce since 2013. Now he keeps sharing his wealth of experience and expertise as part of the BrightMarbles team, making an impact by creating distinguished content across various digital channels.