When you ask software developers about the skills that are important to them in doing their job, they will have different answers. For years, what was considered best practice for software development in Dubai was the conventional waterfall development methodology. In a waterfall environment, developers don’t get enough room to improve their skillsets due to several challenging scenarios including project deadlines, impending release dates, bugs in complex codes etc. Now that Agile is being widely adopted, things are changing for the better. 

Let’s take a look at the 3 most important skills necessary to become a great software developer. 

• Understanding the end-user: A good developer will have the end user in mind even during the pre-development phase. The skill is in understanding the problems the end-user is facing and needing a solution for. For this, the developer will have to think from the users’ perspective and then figure out a solution for the problems, and how the solution can fulfill the needs of the users. That is how development is done. Regrettably however, many software development companies in Dubai often overlook the fact that their product is actually supposed to solve a particular problem of end-users in a way that would benefit them, as opposed to performing a set of tasks for a particular result. 
  
• Consistency in quality: It may seem strange, but consistency in the quality of development is considered as an important skill for software developers. Essentially, they will have to deliver software with zero defects. It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible to achieve. Under all circumstances, they should be able to deliver zero-defect products. 
  
• Focus on the right level of abstraction: Software developers would be dealing with a lot of complexity in their work, which is why they need to be skilled at breaking down complex systems into smaller modules. They need to organize each module independently so that they are understandable at the right level of abstraction. This means the developers will have to ignore details that are irrelevant and inessential. 
  

Conclusion

Not all software companies give room for developers to improve. It’s project after project for every capable developer. If given the opportunity and encouragement to improve, many developers with average skillsets can become accomplished developers capable of taking on complex challenges. The 3 skills mentioned in this article are the signs of a great developer. However, these aren’t the only skills a great developer will need. There should be a determined effort to constantly improve the skillset, without which the presence of all of the aforementioned skills would simply be pointless.