A software delivery manager is primarily responsible for coordinating and managing the entire software development process. He or she oversees a project to ensure its success by coordinating teams, resources, and activities.
A software delivery manager would have a direct hand in software development in smaller organizations, but his or her central role is to manage projects and collaborate with other professionals.
A software delivery manager plays a crucial role in identifying the functional requirements for each department to ensure the completion of software development. He or she may also be tasked to monitor and review competitors’ programs as a basis for software upgrades. In short, a software delivery manager provides a team with a clear direction when creating applications.
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Read More about a “Software Delivery Manager”
A software delivery manager is critical to ensure that an organization’s software development process works seamlessly. He or she makes it possible to collaborate and connect with every member of the software development team.
What Does a Software Delivery Manager Do?
A software delivery manager’s main tasks include:
- Setting up procedural guidelines to establish a successful delivery process
- Overseeing teams across the different stages of project delivery by supervising staff
- Evaluating consumer feedback and instituting changes as necessary to manage expectations
- Ensuring that operations are cost-effective and stay within budget
- Acting as liaison officer between different teams to build partnerships and develop solutions
What Are Some Must-Have Tools for a Software Delivery Manager?
Trello
Trello helps software delivery managers effectively monitor workflows. It allows team members to communicate with and track one another’s progress.
JIRA
Many software delivery managers swear by JIRA for task management. It allows them to work on complex projects with various subtasks.
Smartsheet
Software delivery managers who are fond of using Gantt charts rely on Smartsheet. It provides a platform where they can create activity milestones and provide dependency updates.
Google Docs
Software development managers working with a remote team often turn to Google Docs for cloud-based collaborations. It allows them to share and update files without sending documents and spreadsheets back and forth via email.
Active Collab
Active Collab is highly useful for software delivery managers who need to monitor processes from inception to completion. They can quickly check the time devoted to each task.
What Does One Need to Have to Become a Software Delivery Manager?
Education
A software delivery manager must have a bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, technology architecture, database design, or software engineering. A master’s degree also helps lessen experience requirements. In some organizations, a certification in project management may be necessary.
Some organizations require applicants to have 8–10 years of experience in technology development, with at least five years spent on using software delivery management tools.
Skills
A software delivery manager should have excellent people management and communication skills. Established experience with project management programs, SCRUM, and different variants of AGILE techniques are also expected, along with familiarity with code management and Continuous Integration/Delivery Implementation (CI/DI).
A software delivery manager must also have experience working with Model View Controller (MVC) design patterns, Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), and relational databases. He or she also needs a strong ability to develop code using modern languages and frameworks, such as REACT/Java.
How Much Does a Software Delivery Manager Earn?
Based on reported salaries on Payscale, the average salary of an IT software delivery manager in the U.S. is US$89,000 annually. Managers with experience spanning more than 20 years can receive as much as US$115,000 yearly.
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To succeed, software delivery managers must have an intense dedication to their craft, especially when nearing delivery deadlines.
