External Competence Review for Your Dev Team. Second Opinions Matter

External Competence Review for Your Dev Team. Second Opinions Matter

| March 28th, 2024

There is often a great deal of mistrust between the management and TL positions. Is this IT solution good enough, will it work, how many bugs will it introduce? 

The project budget can greatly impact the level of stress involved. Regardless of the project’s profitability, your developers receive the same pay at the end of the month. Consider sharing the stress and unknowns of the project with an external competence review to share some of the pressure. Second opinions can be valuable. 

External architects and team leaders can provide mentorship to address knowledge gaps within your team. Smart planning can help avoid many issues and obstacles that arise during IT development in enterprise companies. If knowledge within your team is unevenly distributed and certain skills are lacking, this can be addressed through mentorship.   Additionally, the project may benefit from improved project management and a better understanding of the roles of business analysts.

Competence review is conducted using competence matrices, which consist of one matrix for each IT role. Each matrix includes five skills, with five levels for each skill or competence. 

The matrix is a document that outlines the skills and competencies expected of employees within a company. For developers, it covers up to 100 topics, ranging from essential technical skills to more detailed devops, frontend, and backend skills, as well as soft skills. Soft skills are measured using jobEQ and iWAM assessments to aid developers in their growth. The journey to senior level typically lasts four or more years, but not all important skills are developed during this period. Skills such as mentorship and leadership take much longer to fully develop. 

A senior developer cannot be developed in just four years. While technically possessing the skills required for a senior developer, they may not have the full range of competencies outlined in the matrix.

Common pitfalls in achieving senior level include leadership and mentorship. Attempting to display leadership at a young age can come across as forced and insincere.   Personal development cannot fully compensate for a lack of experience in communication. Mentorship can be a complex issue due to the existence of four different types of mentors, with only one of them being a technical mentor. For more information on the different types of mentors, please refer to the provided resource. 

In an IT team, knowledge is often unevenly distributed. To address this issue, intentional mentoring with a structured approach is necessary. A formal process is required to ensure knowledge is shared throughout the company. It is important to have a well-defined process in place. Simply praying and talking about it will not suffice. This process should be led by leaders with the necessary skills and support.   Developer growth should be predictable, and career advancements should be clearly defined. 

It is evident that four years in the IT industry is insufficient to acquire all necessary knowledge. Many important details are often found in the soft skills section of a comprehensive competence matrix. 

External competence review can be beneficial in many cases, including team building events, online workshops, in-office activities, or replacing real company processes. Younger IT companies often require assistance as they grow, and one area where they may lack expertise is in developing a process for measuring developer competencies. A professional and ethical process for measuring developer competencies would likely be welcomed by any CEO. 

Setronica offers mentoring as a service to companies or individual developers in need. Our experience gained over the last quarter of a century is invaluable in today’s rapidly changing IT environment. We provide technical skills and a set of universal corporate culture values.

FAQ

How can external competence review mitigate the distrust between management and TL positions in IT projects?

External competence reviews build trust by providing an objective assessment of a project’s strengths and potential risks, allowing management and TLs to address concerns proactively with evidence-based strategies.

What strategies can help in spreading knowledge more evenly across IT teams, considering the gaps identified by competence matrices?

Spreading knowledge across IT teams requires a structured approach to mentorship and skill development, using competence matrices to identify gaps and tailor learning paths that ensure all team members have access to the knowledge they need.

How does Setronica’s mentorship as a service specifically address the challenges of developing leadership and mentorship skills in IT professionals?

Setronica’s mentorship service leverages decades of industry experience to provide personalized guidance and support, focusing on developing not just technical skills but also the leadership and mentorship capabilities essential for IT professionals’ growth and the success of their projects.

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Kristijan Pušić

IT consultant and Business developer

Our consultant is at your disposal from 9 AM to 5 PM CET working days from Monday to Friday for any additional questions.

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    SETRONICA

    Setronica is a software engineering company that provides a wide range of services, from software products to core business applications. We offer consulting, development, testing, infrastructure support, and cloud management services to enterprises. We apply the knowledge, skills, and Agile methodology of project management to integrate software development and business objectives effectively and efficiently.