Hiring someone who knows everything about web development sounds both logical and random at the same time. In all probability, your development team already has UI/UX specialists working to design the user interface of your product and coders working on the logic behind the interface. Why then would you want to introduce a jack of all trades in to the same project?
Well, the fact is that you need to get to a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) fast and a Full Stack Developer is the best person to get it done. Wikipedia defines the minimum viable product (MVP) as a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and to provide feedback for future product development.
So, how does the Full Stack Developer help?
Full stack developers are software experts with skills in front end and back end web development. These professionals understand most of the programming languages and can execute agile projects with skill and proficiency. They can also double up as technical heads because they have a detailed understanding of the project. In short, they call the shots whenever needed, to drive the project.
Listed below are some of the advantages of having a full stack developer in the team.
They are accomplished web/app developers
It's a known fact that design-driven organizations are more likely to outperform their peers. Full stack developers have the capability to add groundbreaking features to your product to excite the market. With the skills to handle the project from a 360-degree perspective, professionals can manage the whole stack from the ground up.
They are Versatile
Full stack developers can create codes (using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) that control the appearance and interactivity of a site in a browser and at the same time write prototype codes that connect your website to other content management systems. They know what the customer expects and with a versatile skill set, they can design and develop the solution without depending too much on others.
They can see the bigger picture
The principal advantage of hiring a full stack developer is that they can help with the whole design structure and provide inputs on any level as need be. Their services go beyond web development to maintaining and optimizing existing systems. They are skilled enough to identify problems that arise during the project and implement long-term solutions for the optimal functioning of the website or application.
They stay updated
It’s a no brainer that web-design is one of the main reasons for people to like a website. Professional full stack developers focus on making your web project more user-friendly. By being up-to-date with all the latest technological innovations, they can implement smart, user-friendly features in your project so that your clients get the best responsive and interactive website.
FSDs are necessary for budget/time constrained projects
What happens when you are working on a shoestring budget and still need a spectacular product? You hire an FSD. Since they can handle each and every aspect of the project, you need not employ multiple developers on the project thus saving money. Also, with an end-to-end oversight, a full stack developer can easily coordinate with team members for faster delivery of the final output.
They can assume all project ownership
A full stack developer is responsible for the MVP development from start to finish. Their accountability extends to full stack deployment opportunities and lean thinking, including impacting the development of coding conventions, documentation standards, testing procedures, and quality assurance. Beyond handling the MVP development, they can also control the server-side and client-side of the application to streamline and fast track delivery.
What are the essential skills that a full stack developer must possess?
A full stack developer -
- Should be able to work with media queries and single page applications.
- Must understand web frameworks like Django or Node JS.
- Must have worked with MySQL and Mongo DB for a long time.
- Needs to have a basic understanding of hybrid mobile app development.
- Should be able to switch context from one domain to another.
What value will a full stack developer add to the team?
- An FSD will be able to design and develop various web-based components for systems.
- An FSD will work with the team to define the features of the product and to build it.
- An FSD will be involved in all steps of development, from product identification thru architecture and execution.
- An FSD will understand the current system and come up with creative ideas for refactoring or proactively improving the code base.
- An FSD will be involved in full stack deployment opportunities and lean thinking, including impacting the development of coding conventions, documentation standards, testing procedures, and quality assurance.
- An FSD will be totally immersed in customer issues to support an ideal user experience
Although a full stack developer is an invaluable resource to any web development project, finding a good one is not easy. Today, anyone with just the theoretical knowledge of full stack technologies can call themselves a full stack developer. But, what really makes a good FSD is the exposure to real-world projects in a time-constrained environment. NIIT’s StackRoute is addressing this need with their project-based learning (Bootcamp) with real-world application development challenges. Aimed at industry professionals, StackRoute serves to re-skill the existing employees in full-stack development. If you are looking to reskill your best employees in latest web development technologies and turn them into full stack developers, NIIT’s StackRoute is an option worth considering.
Posted on 12 June, 2019
