13 Remote Software Development Myths

As you might know by now, software development is our specialty and has been for quite some time. As a remote team, we have had multiple clients that we built a great relationship with but, somehow, there were always myths regarding our work. So, today, we are going to bust all of these myths and share with you a list of 13 remote software development myths.

Myth 1: A Client can only slow the software development process

Good communication with the Client (or the Product Owner) can only benefit the software development process.

Myth 2: Product Owner and Scrum Master have to be in the same location

Nowadays, when there are so many collaborative project tools, the Product Owner and Scrum Master can easily share tasks, calendars etc. Not to mention communication tools (like Slack) remote teams frequently use.

Myth 3: It's better to have an in-house development team

We pretty much covered this myth in our previous article Pros and Cons of Remote Development. What this says is, that when it comes to updates and bugs, it's better to have your team that will take care of the issues immediately.
This is one of 13 remote software development myths that can't be further from the truth. The contract you sign with the remote development team should define all of these parameters.

Myth 4: Hiring a remote software development team means having less product quality

No, never! Just the opposite - if you find a good development team, it means that you can get a good quality code and a team that is capable of creating the product even better than an in-house team would.

Myth 5: Software development team members don't understand the Product Owner's business needs

We are not talking about ten-years-ago developers. Nowadays, it is completely normal for developers to work under different business models. They are not just coders and geeks. They know how the business is done.

Myth 6: Adding more people to the team will speed up the development time

On the contrary! Adding more people can only cause overtime. This creates a stressful workplace and causes nothing but trouble.

Myth 7: Waterfall is amazing for software development

It is a well-known fact that Waterfall doesn't allow the team to adapt to changes in the project. On the other hand, the Scrum framework is more efficient, and flexible and, therefore, is our first and only choice.

Myth 8: Adding new features and making changes after the project has been released is no big deal

It is a big deal! Not because the remote development team is going to have to work more but because sometimes those changes can affect the whole system architecture. We always advise the Product Owner to examine if users want these changes to happen.

Myth 9: Using the newest technologies can speed up the delivery time

We have to admit we try to be up-to-date when it comes to new programming languages and frameworks. Sure, using the ewest technology can be a plus, but if the delivery time is longer than it should be, it's on you and your team. Does a blacksmith blame his tools for not creating a word he wanted to create? No!
On this 13 remote software development myths list, this is the most talked about. Don't mix myth with the truth. :)

Myth 10: Designers are only there to design applications

Designers can also learn how to code. Period.

Myth 11: Releasing the project means that the project is finished

This is directly related to Myth 3. The project isn't nearly done. The project is an ongoing process that requires making updates and fixing bugs.

Myth 12: Software development is about coding and logic

We wouldn't agree with this one. Software development is a mix of logic and art. If we mention the design of the app, you can see that the artistic eye of the designer is always needed.
And please, for the love of God, don't consider the design to be an irrelevant part of the app. It is important what is under the hood, for sure, but so is the design.

Myth 13: Software is usually bug-free

One of the greatest jokes we have ever heard! The software is NEVER bug-free. There always has to be even a small amount of bugs.

Please note that the Product Owner and Client don't have to be the same person. Simply put, a Product Owner can be a Client, but in most cases, it is the person that works with the Client and describes the Client's wishes to the software development team. On the other hand, there are some cases in which a development team member can jump into the role of Product Owner and communicate with the team about the client's needs.

We hope we successfully busted some myths and gave you proper reasons why you shouldn't believe in them. Hearing myths is always fun, facing them, on the other hand, not so much. Let's fight together against stereotypes and be the best version of ourselves.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article!

Have a good day!