---
title: The Perfect Developer Qualities
date: 2016-05-27
description: A list of ideal qualities for software developers including humility, patience, analytical thinking, and clear communication.
tags: [management]
---

For me the perfect developer (if there is such a person) has these qualities:

- **Friendly**: is respected and liked by all they work with and are always approachable (even in times of stress)
- **Humble**: has great humilty and is not driven by ego
- **Calm**: doesn't get emotive within discussions (including discussions that are both in their favour and those that aren't)
- **Understanding**: appreciates that business requirements do change regularly and that there are no perfect scenarios; so is able to adapt to problematic situations in the appropriate manner
- **Agile**: recognises when they are potentially moving down a rabbit hole/time sink/yak shave and will successfully re-evaluate the situation and refocus their attention
- **Patient**: appreciates that no dev is born equal and so varying soft/practical skills will be encountered
- **Experienced**: has a wide ranging skill set with relevant practical experience and most importantly realises the fundamentals of simple code design and recognised patterns
- **Consistent**: by being consistent in their development approach they faciliate easier rotation of developers when resources are restricted/restructured
- **Wise**: knows _when_ and _where_ a particular technology is appropriate to use (and when not appropriate)
- **Analytical**: is pragmatic and can break down complex problems into logical smaller tasks
- **Articulate**: able to communicate clearly their ideas to people of all technical levels
- **Open**: continuous documentation and visibility into design and development progress; ensuring good communication
- **Reasonable**: understands a problem's sense of proportion; what's important and what isn't (e.g. when something is a big deal and worth pressing; and when it isn't and so not prematurely raising red flags)
- **Passionate**: enjoys their craft; always keen/open to new experiences and learning new things