How to Most Effectively Interact with Developers

Developers should be considered part of your company's lifecycle. After all, they are the ones who create software that drives growth, innovation, supply chains, and e-commerce. Without such developers, your company will at best stagnate, and at worst, fail.

However, this does not mean you should treat them like royalty. It means they should be kept in the loop. The fact is, developers can be a difficult group to communicate with effectively. They often seem quirky, not always possessing the best social and communication skills. That doesn't mean they can (or should) be avoided.

But it means you should think about how best to communicate with such employees. By making a few changes to your usual approach, you can communicate effectively and efficiently with developers and ensure business continuity.

How? Let's look at some ways to communicate effectively with software engineers.

Know What You Are Talking About

This may seem obvious to you, but not to everyone. The point is, developers really know what they are doing. Unfortunately, this high-level knowledge comes at a cost, preventing them from communicating with you in terms you understand.

Therefore, you must come to every meeting with developers knowing what you are talking about. Do not enter negotiations without a clear understanding of goals and how to achieve them. The more you know about what you are talking about, the more effectively (and efficiently) you can communicate with developers.

Document Your Goals

Now that you know what the discussion is about, it is important to document everything. If you have a well-crafted and written document about the project goals and processes, it will give your developers a clear roadmap of what needs to be done.

And developers (whether Java, JavaScript, PHP, .NET, Python, or Ruby) love good documentation. So this will not only make their work easier but also impress them that you took the time to document the process.

Know the 'Why'

When you make a request to a developer, know why you are making it. Not because your boss told you to, but because it is important for the company's website or application stack. If you say, 'We want button X to be shiny,' the developer will laugh at you. If you say, 'We want button X to be shiny because it will make it easier for people to notice,' the developer will at least respect the request and fulfill it.

If a developer asks you why you want to do something and you don't have an answer, understand that you will need to come up with a 'why' if you want to be able to communicate easily with that developer.

Have a Clear Vision of the Finished Product

Developers like to deal with specifics. Let's go back to the shiny button example. If you say 'shiny button,' the developer might interpret that as 'glowing lime green with unicorn sparkles.' In reality, you meant you need a subtle highlight around the button to make it stand out on the page.

It is crucial that you can best convey to the developer what the finished product looks like in your mind (or the CEO's mind). Be specific, clear, and precise. Make sure the developer knows exactly what you mean when you say 'shiny.'

Communicate with Respect

You may not understand developers, but they are people just like you, and they have likely earned respect (by shipping product after product). If you talk down to developers or speak disparagingly, you won't get far. If you are a manager, you have likely attended courses on effective communication. In those courses, you were taught to respect those you communicate with. Remember those lessons when communicating with developers.

Don't Pretend You Know Code

When communicating with developers, don't try to be cool and speak their 'jargon.' Don't try to phrase a request as a function or system call. If you are not a software engineer, do not send an email that looks like this:

print('Hey team!')
print('We need to have a meeting'!)

Your developers won't find it cute. Moreover, you might get a reply consisting solely of management 'buzzwords' that will have the same offensive tone.

Also, don't try to use pseudocode (describing algorithm steps in plain language) when talking to developers. Don't communicate with them like this:

If you fail to complete this project
Print "you're fired" else
Print "you get a cookie"

See how that can be offensive?

Don't 'Change the Scope'

You've laid out the project plan, and your developers are working hard on it. Then suddenly, someone from management decides to 'change the scope,' which jeopardizes the project deadlines.

If a scope change is unavoidable, it is best to first have an informal meeting with the developers to warn them of the possibility. And when the meeting happens, make sure you know exactly the reason for the change, have a clear vision of the new finished product, document the scope change, and speak with developers respectfully.

If you hold a meeting and say, 'We're changing the project scope, we don't know what it will be, and you will do it whether you like it or not,' you probably won't like your developers' reaction.

Instead, approach such meetings with the understanding that how you deliver this news (and with what specifics you deliver it) can make or break the project.

Conclusion

Developers are people. They deserve your respect, as they tirelessly work on creating software that drives your company's growth beyond your imagination. Effective communication with them does not require extraordinary effort. Put in the effort, and the reward will be pleasant for all involved.