The Duties of a Software Developer Beyond Just Writing Code

Software development is often seen as the art of writing efficient, clean, and functional code. But experienced developers know their duties go far beyond coding. The role encompasses many other critical tasks that contribute to the overall success of a project and the smooth functioning of a team. Below are a few essential responsibilities that developers should embrace to become more effective, productive, and valuable to their teams.

1. Apply the Boy Scout Rule: Leave Code Better Than You Found It

The Boy Scout Rule is simple but powerful: always leave the code better than you found it. Many developers use tight deadlines as an excuse to avoid improving the codebase, but this shouldn’t stop you from making incremental improvements.

Example: Let’s say you encounter a function with a poor naming convention or an unnecessarily complex structure. You might not have time to completely refactor it, but you can still:

• Rename ambiguous variables like data or tmp to more meaningful names such as userData or transactionTmp.
• Add comments to clarify the purpose of a tricky block of code.
• Add a TODO note or create a backlog ticket to revisit that area later for optimization.

If you can't address the issue immediately, raise a ticket or log a reminder on the board so it isn't forgotten. This way, when you have some available time, you can return and make those necessary improvements.

2. Understand the Big Picture

Beyond the specific task you’re working on, you should think about how it fits into the broader system. This will allow you to develop solutions that not only meet requirements but also enhance the overall system's performance and maintainability.

Ask yourself these questions, and try to answer them with concrete actions:

• Why am I building this feature?
• How will this improve the user experience or save time?
• Can I save cloud resources or optimize performance?
• Is this feature reusable?

By seeing the big picture, you provide more than just functionality—you add long-term value.

3. Code Reviews: A Critical Learning Opportunity

Code reviews are more than just a formality; they’re an essential part of continuous improvement. A well-conducted review should provide value for both the author and the reviewer.

When reviewing, focus on these areas:

• Naming conventions: Are variables, functions, and classes meaningfully named? A function called getData() doesn’t tell you much, but fetchUserDetails() provides clarity.
• Refactoring opportunities: Is a function doing too much? Could it be split into smaller, more focused functions? If a function exceeds 20 lines, consider breaking it down for simplicity.
• Test coverage: Is there a missing edge case? If the new code handles dates, for example, ensure there’s a test for leap years or time zone differences.

Example: Imagine you're reviewing code where a function has 5 parameters. Instead of accepting the code as-is, you could suggest refactoring by grouping related parameters into an object, reducing the cognitive load for future developers.

Code reviews are a learning opportunity for the entire team. Instead of rushing through them, use them to foster better practices.

4. Managing and Refining Tickets

Tickets are more than just task lists—they guide the development process and help you organize your work. However, sometimes tickets lack technical details or contain unclear requirements. Instead of waiting for someone else to clarify, take the initiative.

Example Process:

1. Research first: If a ticket is vague, do your own research to fill in the gaps. For example, if you’re tasked with integrating an API but the ticket doesn’t specify which one, investigate and propose an option.
2. Suggest solutions: After gathering information, offer a solution and check whether it aligns with the product owner's requirements. For instance, "I propose using the XYZ API for this task since it offers built-in authentication."
3. Documentation: When delivering the ticket, ensure your changes are documented. Include: Screenshots or logs of test cases passed. A short README on how to deploy or use the new feature. An explanation of how the feature meets the acceptance criteria.
4. Evidence: Depending on the context and the type of development you are working on, let's say you are working as a frontend developer, the way you can showcase your code works as expected is to share a link to the development environment where you are running your code. Also, providing a video of the feature working is a painless verification for the reviewer. Just remember, nothing in software development is trivial.

Delivering tickets is about more than just marking them complete; it’s about ensuring clarity and efficiency for your teammates when they pick up your work.

Conclusion

Coding may be the most visible part of a software developer's job, but it's far from the only responsibility. By applying the Boy Scout Rule, understanding the bigger picture, conducting meaningful code reviews, and properly managing tickets, developers contribute significantly to the success of their teams and projects. These practices make you a better developer and elevate the quality of your work—benefiting your team, your organization, and the systems you build.