A-Z Software Development Team Vocabulary

Here’s my version of an A-Z glossary of terms related to roles in a development team. Some of them are familiar to you, but I’m sure at least one term will be new to you. If I didn’t do it right, write your own version in the comments.

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A-Z glossary of terms related to roles in a development team

Application Architect – Responsible for designing the high-level structure of IT projects and guiding the project team with technical design and architecture.

Business Analyst – Analyzes business processes, identifies requirements, and ensures that technical solutions meet business needs.

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Executive responsible for managing a company’s technological direction and R&D.

Designer – Creates visual concepts and graphical elements for products, often focusing on aesthetics and user appeal.

Embedded Systems Developer – Focuses on programming for embedded systems, which are computer systems with a dedicated function or functions, such as household appliances, medical devices, or automobile engines.

Front-end web development – Focuses on building the user interface and user experience of a web application.

Full stack developer – Engineers who handle both front-end (user interface) and back-end (server/database) development.

Game Developer – Designs and creates video games for computers, gaming consoles, and other platforms.

Hardware Engineer – Designs, develops, and tests the physical components of computer systems, like circuits and chips.

Information Security Analyst – Protects an organization’s computer systems and networks by identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities.

JavaScript Developer – Specializes in using JavaScript to create interactive web applications.

Kubernetes Administrator – Manages Kubernetes, an open-source system used to automate deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications.

Linux Administrator – Specializes in managing systems and servers running the Linux operating system.

Mobile App Developer – Designs and creates applications for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

Network Engineer – Designs, implements, and troubleshoots computer networks, including LANs, WANs, and intranets.

Operations Engineer (often called DevOps) – Bridges the gap between software development and IT operations to ensure smooth and automated deployment, scaling, and management of applications.

Product Manager – Oversees the development, production, and marketing of a product, ensuring it meets user needs and business goals.

Product owner – Represents the end user in a Scrum team, detailing product features and prioritizing the backlog.

Project manager – Plans, organizes, and oversees projects, ensuring they are completed on time and on budget.

Quality Assurance – Ensures that products or services meet established standards, often through testing and feedback loops.

Release Manager – Oversees the delivery of software into production environments, ensuring that releases are timely and stable.

Scrum master – Facilitates agile development in a Scrum team, ensuring the team adheres to agile principles and practices.

Software Developer – Designs, writes, and tests computer programs or applications.

Software Engineer – Applies engineering principles to design, develop, and maintain software and systems.

Software Testing – Involves the evaluation of software applications to identify defects and ensure quality.

Systems analyst – Studies an organization’s systems and procedures, recommending technological solutions to increase efficiency.

Systems architect – Designs complex IT systems, ensuring that all parts of the system work well together.

Team Leader – Supervises and leads a team, ensuring tasks are completed and team members are supported.

Tech Lead – Guides the technical direction of a team, often combining technical expertise with leadership responsibilities.

User experience – Focuses on optimizing products to ensure they are user-friendly and offer a positive experience.

User interface – Concerns the design and layout of the interactive parts of a product, ensuring intuitive and pleasant user interactions.

Virtual Reality Developer – Creates applications and experiences for virtual reality platforms.

Web Designer – Focuses on the design and aesthetics of websites, ensuring they are both visually pleasing and user-friendly.

Xamarin Developer – Uses the Xamarin platform to develop cross-platform mobile applications using .NET and C#.

Yield Optimization Engineer – Focuses on improving the performance and efficiency of software and systems.

Zero-day Exploit Researcher – Searches for unknown vulnerabilities in software and systems that can be used or sold before they’re known to the manufacturer.