Crafting the Perfect Mobile App Development Team

Before investing in your app development project, it is beneficial to understand the scope, complexity, budget, and timeline associated with the type of app you plan to create. Once you have a clear understanding of this, you can determine the team of professionals needed to transform your business concept into a fully-fledged app.

For instance, if you are constructing a straightforward mobile app that will run on both Android and iOS, your development team should consist of the following:

• a project or product manager,
• an iOS developer,
• an Android developer,
• a backend developer,
• a QA engineer, and
• a UI/UX designer.

Main Responsibilities of Product and Project Managers

Product Manager:

1. Develop product strategy and roadmaps to meet customer needs and market opportunities.

2. Coordinate and manage product development, launch, and marketing activities.

3. Conduct competitive research, analyze market trends, and evaluate customer feedback.

4. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful product delivery.

5. Develop product positioning, pricing, and promotional strategies.

6. Monitor product performance and develop improvement plans.

7. Manage product-related budgets and resources.

Project Manager:

1. Define project scope, goals, and deliverables that support business goals in collaboration with senior management and stakeholders.

2. Develop full-scale project plans and associated communications documents.

3. Effectively communicate project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion.

4. Plan and schedule project timelines and milestones using appropriate tools.

5. Track project milestones and deliverables.

6. Develop and deliver progress reports, proposals, requirements documentation, and presentations.

7. Determine the frequency and content of status reports from the project team, analyze results, and troubleshoot problem areas.

In order to ensure a successful project, it is beneficial to have both a product manager and a project manager. If a project is relatively simple, one professional can take on both roles. However, when dealing with more complex projects with a large scope, it is recommended to hire separate individuals for each role. This way, each manager can focus on the responsibilities that are specific to their job, helping to deliver the product in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Main Responsibilities of UI/UX Designers

1. Develop user interface designs for applications.

2. Create wireframes, prototypes, storyboards, user flows, process flows to communicate interaction and design ideas.

3. Work with developers to ensure design specifications are implemented.

4. Analyze user feedback and activity, and iterate to enhance the user experience.

5. Design graphical user interface elements, like menus, tabs and widgets.

6. Develop UI mockups and prototypes that clearly illustrate how the app functions and looks like.

7. Stay up-to-date on design trends and technology.

Main Responsibilities of iOS and Android developers

1. Turn mockups, wireframes, and sketches into high-quality code for the iOS/Android platform.

2. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and ship new features.

3. Ensure the performance, quality, and responsiveness of applications.

4. Work on bug fixing and improving application performance.

5. Continuously discover, evaluate, and implement new technologies to maximize development efficiency.

It is ideal to have separate app developers for each mobile operating platform since iOS and Android require different approaches and programming languages. Mobile developers must be knowledgeable in the specific language and technologies for each platform in order to create the best user experience for the end user. They must also be aware of the differences between the two platforms and be able to develop apps that are optimized for each.

Main Responsibilities of Backend Developers

1. Ensuring the safekeeping, accessibility, and transfer of data to the appropriate user

2. Developing and integrating Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) across multiple platforms

3. Establishing the necessary coding frameworks and the overall framework of the application

4. Working with database management systems, Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), and teamwork platforms

5. Implementing payment gateways to facilitate in-app purchases.

Main Responsibilities of QA Engineers

1. Ensuring that all company quality standards are adhered to.

2. Carrying out manual testing of applications and executing scripts for automated testing purposes.

3. Monitoring the progress of tests and recording test cases.

4. Documenting bugs.

5. Establishing rigorous testing protocols to assess the quality of the apps and decide when they are ready for release.

Determining the Right App Development Team Structure

When determining the structure of your development team for your mobile app, you should consider the following factors: the mobile platforms you’re aiming to reach, the complexity and number of features of the app, the expertise of your development team, the deadlines of the app development project, and the available budget. Once you have taken these into account, you can decide on the final composition of your team.

When analyzing app complexity, mobile applications can be divided into three categories: simple, medium, and complex.

Simple apps typically feature standard features, a straightforward design, and a minimal number of buttons.

Medium apps, meanwhile, boast more intricate capabilities, multiple screens and features, and a more intricate design.

Сomplex apps offer advanced features, interactive design, in-app payment systems, and sophisticated chatbots.

If you need a mobile app development team, the amount of time it will take to deliver a fully-fledged app depends on its complexity. A simple app can be ready in 2-4 months, while a medium app will take 6-10 months, and a complex app may require 8+ months.

To speed up the development process, you can add extra developers to your team. Alternatively, you can start with an app for one platform and reduce its functionality; this is a more budget-friendly approach that can help you launch faster.

Are you looking to build a successful mobile app? Orangesoft can help. We have the right specialists to turn your idea into a full-scale mobile app. Our team consists of experienced developers, project managers, QA engineers and other specialists, who are all ready to deliver high-quality mobile apps for various business domains. Reach out to us to discuss the team structure you need – we are committed to assisting you in finding the right people and resources to get the job done.

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The five steps to becoming a system administrator are described in this blog. You’ll learn what you need to know, what education and training you should pursue, and how to find employment.

Step 1. First, obtain a bachelor’s degree and develop your technical skills.

You can sigh and declare, “IT higher education is out-of-date!” But it’s not, really. The majority of firms would only consider candidates for a position as a systems administrator if they have a bachelor’s degree in a field of computer science, electrical engineering, or computer engineering and have three to five years of experience. You will master the fundamentals while pursuing a four-year degree, including different programming languages, the kinds and characteristics of various operating systems and networking services, how to conduct database and systems analysis, what goes into systems architecture, etc. Make sure to look into internship options offered by your school; they will help you develop a solid professional network and make you a more desirable candidate once you graduate.

However, the road to becoming a system administrator also necessitates continuous self-education because technology advances far more quickly than textbooks. Make it a habit to be informed on recent changes in the sector, such as which operating systems and applications are gaining popularity, cutting-edge techniques for powerful hardware and software troubleshooting, potential risks to network security, and many more. There are several ways to learn more, including reading trade journals and academic studies, participating in forums, and speaking with system and network administrators who are really in the field. Trust me, it’s enjoyable!

Step 2. Enroll in additional classes to learn system administration.

To reinforce your credentials and advance your skills, we advise earning IT certifications either while you are still a student or after you graduate. Although these certifications are optional, companies frequently take them into consideration when reviewing your application. Therefore, possessing the necessary credentials not only increases your capacity to design and manage computer systems but also increases your likelihood of landing a job and gives you a competitive edge over other applicants.

There are plenty of excellent choices. We suggest that you take a look at these three popular certifications:

Certification for Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)

Microsoft offers three levels of certification:

·  MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) – For total newbies who require a comprehension of fundamental technological principles

·  MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) – For people looking for entry-level jobs and possessing core technical knowledge.

·  MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert) — For knowledgeable IT professionals that need to develop cutting-edge on-premises and cloud-based solutions.

We suggest enrolling in MCSA courses after earning your bachelor’s degree because they concentrate on the most recent business apps, cloud platforms, data management, analytics, mobility (BYOD), and productivity technologies. Although not explicitly geared toward systems administrators, these courses will help you learn the art and science of creating solutions using foundational Microsoft technologies, particularly Windows Server.

You will need to pass two or three tests once the course is over. You’ll also need to pass an additional exam once a year or enroll in additional coursework to demonstrate that you’ve kept up with the latest technology and are continually developing your skill set.

Certification as an LPIC-1 Certified Linux Administrator

The LPIC-1 certification, the first of a multi-level program offered by the Linux Professional Institute, is the perfect choice for you if you want to gauge your level of Linux expertise or are eager to work exclusively with this operating system. Learning how to use the command line for maintenance duties, set up a Linux computer, and establish the basics of networking will prepare you for a career in systems administration.

You must succeed on both tests in order to graduate. For five years, the certification is valid. You must pass the tests once more or earn more advanced certifications before the five-year window closes in order to recertify.

Credentials for CompTIA Server+

A non-profit trade association called CompTIA awards vendor-neutral IT certifications. CompTIA Server+ is a thorough and demanding course. You must have between 18 and 24 months of professional experience with server hardware and software before you can apply for this certification. Candidates who complete the course will have mastered seven fundamental areas: server architecture server administration (managing and maintaining servers), storage (supporting storage devices), security (using physical and network security measures), networking, and server setup and support (configuring systems for network connectivity), disaster recovery (includes backup techniques), and troubleshooting a variety of problems from hardware to security.

You must pass one 90-minute exam to be awarded this certification. There is no expiration date for the certificate.

Other IT certificates are plentiful. For instance, we advise getting the Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification if you wish to work with Red Hat Enterprise Linux settings. See this blog post to find out more about additional qualifications that are valuable in the market and directly affect your pay.

Step 3. Establish solid interpersonal skills

How can a system administrator improve? Interpersonal skills are just as crucial as technical expertise in Linux or Windows environments and the ability to grasp backup procedures.

As the first person to contact when a network issue arises, you should be prepared to operate under pressure and maintain composure. Along with these qualities, you should be well-versed in problem-solving techniques, have sound judgment, and be capable of handling situations swiftly and effectively.

A strong ability to communicate is essential because you will eventually need to make suggestions, state your goals and expectations for the project, and educate employees on how to properly use IT resources and call tracking. A good system administrator is especially good at transferring complex knowledge to non-IT people. A fairy tale can be used to convey a complex or important message more effectively. Let’s imagine that you need to inform an employee about the security implications of using the “Qwerty” password. You might argue that using the password “Qwerty” demonstrates your predictability and boredom. Who likes predictable, uninteresting people? No one. Nobody! Unless you are the target of hackers who can quickly compromise you. When talking to users, be creative!

Step 4: Find work

You should first obtain entry-level experience through internships or part-time employment before seeking full-time positions. To learn how everything you learned in theory actually functions in practice, you can take on junior roles like desktop or tech support helpdesk. The finest instruction is experience in the real world.

Since their duties frequently overlap, you will be prepared to obtain an entry-level career as a system administrator or network administrator once you have put your talents to the test and refined them through fire. Employers frequently want at least three to five years of experience, although you might be able to count your schooling and internships toward this total. Utilize the contacts you have established in the industry; networking is the most effective technique to find employment. Additionally, you can use LinkedIn, Monster, or Indeed to look for employment while focusing on those that fit your qualifications and budget. Make sure to emphasize it in your resume if you have experience with a certain OS or a certification in a particular area.

Consider your options carefully before choosing a well-known brand when deciding between larger firms and smaller organizations. Because small businesses frequently lack funding and staff, you are more likely to gain experience there. You will also be required to manage multiple projects at once, which will force you to develop your automation abilities. You run the risk of having a small area of responsibility and having a less thrilling experience if you choose a large corporation.

Step 5: Continue to update your knowledge

Your journey is not done after you start working and are no longer searching for “How to become a sysadmin” on Google. It’s never over; you have to keep up with the newest technology, which develops very quickly. Consider becoming a member of a professional organization like the League of Professional Systems Administrators (LOPSA), whose mission is to improve the field of systems administration and inform both its members and the general public about its challenges. LOPSA shares useful material in Slack, through their RSS feeds, and through their mailing lists. They also provide online events that offer excellent networking and educational opportunities.

Spiceworks, a vast multinational network for everyone concerned about the future of the IT sector, is another knowledge treasure for system administrators. You should check out the posts there because they provide frank product reviews and some very important instructional material. Additionally, you can look at Microsoft Technet and Reddit. However, Reddit requires you to go through a lot of amusing but unrelated discussions, so avoid using it while working.

Please let us know if you find these systems administration career building steps to be helpful. Also, don’t forget to leave a remark with your own advice!

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Functional programming is becoming more and more in demand. This is due to a number of factors. We cannot say that this is a new paradigm. For example, back in the nineties, the Haskell programming language appeared, which is still actively used for FP. Erlang, Scala, Clojure can also be placed in the same category. All such programming languages share one very important advantage. They can be used to write competitive software products, so problems such as mutual locks and thread-safety disappear when using them.

The essence of the functional programming paradigm is that the developer should not specify a sequence of required commands, but describe the principle of their interaction with subprograms. This is similar to the work in OOP, but in this case the implementation is carried out at the level of the whole software product.

For example, in object-oriented programming the developer must define objects and describe the algorithms of their interaction with each other, but at the same time there is a possibility to write code not related to them. This code looks detached and affects the work of the whole program. It directs some objects to interact with each other, handles some results, etc.

The functional paradigm is more advanced in this respect. In this type of programming, the code describes the rules for handling data. The developer only generates the necessary conditions, and the code directly determines their practical application.

When comparing procedural and functional programming, there are overlaps only in the presence of commands which are executed by the language. All other aspects of these paradigms are different.

The notion of functional programming is related to paradigms in which applications are developed by using functions sequentially. And the procedural approach uses instructions.

Comparison of Imperative and Functional Programming
One might think that the term “functional programming style” refers to functions.

But it doesn’t. Functions are represented in different paradigms. But as far as functional programming is concerned, the difference from imperative programming is in the very approach to writing applications.

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Types of specialized languages:

1. Languages for working with databases:
   a)Languages that are part of industrial client-server database management systems (DBMS) (PL-SQL in Oracle DBMS, Transact-SQL in Microsoft SQL Server)
   b) languages which are part of other types of DBMS (Visual FoxPro, Microsoft Access, Paradox, etc.)

2. Languages for web programming.
   a) Languages which are run on a server that supports a website (such as RNR, Perl and VBScript)
   b) languages which are executed in the browser (viewer) JavaScript, JScript, VBScript

3.Languages for mathematical calculations

Languages for automating the work of definite software products. (VBA in Microsoft Office)

6. Specialized languages of other kinds.
   The universal languages are Visual C++, Visual C++.Net, Visual C#.Net, Visual J#.Net, Java, Delphi, Borland C#, Borland C++ Builder.
   Although most specialized languages are derived from general languages such as PHP, Perl and JavaScript are derived from C++, VBScript and VBA are derived from Visual Basic, the difference between the specialized and general languages is significant.
   Specialized languages are mostly used to write not very large programs, so they are optimized to write programs quickly and reduce the size of the source code, and to a lesser extent to reduce errors, using object-oriented programming and code division into modules. And universal languages are usually used to create large and very large projects, so they are all made to reduce the number of errors and facilitate the design of programs, facilitate the development of large programs.

The main difference between special languages and universal languages:
1) They have fewer object-oriented tools and means to access COM+, DCOM, CORBA technologies, to operating system API functions;
2) Less means of multithreaded programming and distributed programming;
3)Only dynamic types are used (i.e. variable type is determined depending on its value, not when variable is declared), but not static types. The only exception: in Visual FoxPro version 9, you can use static variable types as well.

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Below we will talk about who the sysadmin is – what he does, what knowledge and skills are necessary, how much he earns. There will also be tips on how to quickly get into the field “from scratch”.

Who is it.
System administrator – this is a specialist who ensures the regular operation of the fleet of computer equipment, as well as the network and software. Sometimes such an employee is responsible for information security within a corporation. The common name of the profession is sysadmin.

Such an employee is involved in setting up, debugging, and testing computer devices. The mentioned profession has many directions, depending on which job duties will vary.

Directions
To answer the question of what a modern system administrator does, it is problematic. In general terms, his job is to ensure the computer performance of software and hardware. The rest depends on what kind of administrator is present in the company. Large corporations hire several narrowly focused sysadmins at once for faster and better service.

There are the following types of professions:

• Web server administrator. He initializes, configures and debugs web servers. With the help of the latter, the functioning of resources on the Web is ensured.
• Database Administrator. Responsible for the database operation and updating them.
• Network staff. These system administrators develop as well as provide maintenance of network equipment.
• Network security administrator. Responsibilities include securing networks, protecting them from local and global intrusions. Ensures that the available data does not leak out, and that there are no viruses and spyware on the computer.
• Architect. This is the engineer who has the highest qualifications. Responsible for building the corporate infrastructure.
• Email Administrator. Responsible for setting up and debugging email services. His or her responsibilities include organizing the fight against spam, as well as malware distributed through messages.
• Operating Systems Administrator. A specialist who must take care of setting up and debugging the operating system on the devices in the company. Such a system administrator may specialize only in Windows, Linux, MacOS or several systems at once.
• Software administrator. This is a systems engineer working exclusively with the configuration, initialization and updating of software. As an independent expert in practice is rare. Usually he includes in his work tasks of different orientation.
• Often the duties of the system administrator includes the repair of computer equipment. This is what is engaged in the system administrator in the workplace.

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