Full-stack developer role and responsibilities Version 3

Description

A full-stack developer is a programmer who can develop both the front-end and the back-end of solutions They are known to have a wide range of knowledge and skills and can create a seamless user experience by connecting both front-end and the back-end logic. In our organization, most developers lack “full-stack” development skills, and this knowledge gap is seen mostly in the scarcity of the area of the infrastructure operations skillset.

One of the key issues that exacerbates this problem is that certain tasks in the software development life cycle are performed as hand-offs to other teams, instead of having developers expand their skillsets. These hand-offs include and are not limited to:

• Automation testing
• Data architecture
• Platform configuration
• Security
• Deployments
• Monitoring

The lack of adequate training, access to the right tooling, and developer autonomy helps persist this issue. As an example, developers are not able to install Docker on their Government of Canada devices. Without the right access to tools, they are not able to advance in areas such as infrastructure-as-code (IaC).

If developers are trained to be proficient with full-stack skills within an agile development framework, they are able to:

• Test the validity of their own code through self-coded automation test
• Configure the necessary infrastructure needed to operate their solutions
• Effectively develop responsive user interfaces using User Experience Design (UXD) techniques
• Deploy their own code in an automated fashion
• Manage their own data backends
• Have a better understanding of the interoperability that takes place between the various layers of the solution
• Better trace the root causes of issues

Full-Stack Developer Roles and Responsibilities

The following represents the typical roles and responsibilities of a full-stack developer:

• Understanding and Analyzing Requirements: Full-stack developers collaborate with stakeholders, including clients, Product Managers, and Designers to gather and understand the project requirements fully. By doing so, they understand the business purpose of the code that is being written.
• Front-End Development: The developers create the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) components using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They implement responsive design to ensure the application works seamlessly across different devices and screen sizes, and how to utilize front-end frameworks and libraries. Work with the User Experience Designer to ensure that their design adheres to UXD best practices.
• Back-End Development: Developers design and implement server-side logic, application architecture, and develop databases. In doing so, they ensure efficient data storage and retrieval is performed.
• Database Management: Developers design and manage both relation and non-relational databases, including the creation of database schemas, data queries, and data management scripts.
• API Development: Developers create and maintain RESTful or GraphQL APIs to facilitate the interoperability between the front-end and back-end components.
• Version Control/Git: Developers are well versed in the use of version control systems (e.g., Git) to manage and track changes in the source code collaboratively.
• Automation Testing: Developers write and conduct their own tests including unit, integration, functional and regression, performance, and post-deployment to ensure the reliability and quality of the code.
• Automated Builds and Deployments: Developers deploy their own applications to servers or cloud platforms and implement and maintain continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Security: Developers implement security best practices to protect the application against vulnerabilities and threats.
• Keeping Up with Industry and Technology Trends: Developers continuously further their skills and stay updated on the latest industry trends, new technologies, and current best practices in full-stack development.
• Documentation: Developers can effectively document their code, processes, and architecture to ensure that knowledge transfer is as easy as possible, and the maintainability of their code is simplified for others.

Full-Stack Developer Skills Benefits

When developers are trained as full-stack, the following benefits come into play:

• Versatility: Once a developer has accrued a broad skill set as defined above, they are able to develop both front-end and back-end components of applications, making them versatile and capable of handling various tasks in a project.
• Efficient Development: Because a full-stack developer has a well-rounded skill set, they can choose the appropriate tools and technologies specific to each project. This leads to more efficient development processes and better code quality.
• Adaptability to Change: Full-stack developers with up-to-date skills can adapt more easily to changes in technology, frameworks, and methodologies. In so doing, they can maintain their relevance in a constantly changing and dynamic industry.
• Reduced Costs: With increased knowledge and adaptability, developers become more efficient and can solve problems faster when they arise. This contributes to reduced development expenses and makes projects more cost-effective.
• Enhanced Problem-Solving: Working with a wider understanding of software development, full-stack developers can identify and solve issues across the entire application stack, from user interface to server-side logic. This leads to the creation of more robust and reliable solutions.
• Career Advancement: With the increased skillset of a full-stack developer, more career opportunities are available to the developer, making them more competitive in the job market and their chances for career advancement increase.

Risks of Not Having Full-Stack Developer Skills

By not having developers trained as skilled full-stack developers, organizations are subject to the following developmental risks in a project:

• Inefficient Development: Without the full well-rounded skill set of a full-stack developer and a complete knowledge of front- and back-end development, a developer can struggle to choose the appropriate technologies and tools that are appropriate to their task. This leads to inefficient development processes and suboptimal code.
• Poor Solution Performance: A non-full-stack developer lacks the ability to optimize code for performance which may lead to slow-loading applications, which negatively impacts the user’s experience and potentially drives away users.
• Security Vulnerabilities: A lack of expertise in security practices opens the developed solution to vulnerabilities to attacks which exposes the application to potential security threats and breaches and increases the organization’s liability.
• Limited Career Opportunities: Without the skills of a full-stack developer in an ever increasingly competitive market, a developer may find it challenging to compete in the job market where organizations see full-stack developers as a wanted commodity. This lack of skillset limits a developer’s career growth and minimizes other career opportunities.