Types and Responsibilities of Nowadays IT Teams

Today, digitalization has touched almost all areas of business from finance and healthcare to transport and industry. However, the digital transformation of the company is impossible without qualified IT specialists. Thus, IT teams become an integral part of the structure of very many organizations.

Of course, companies that provide custom software development services in usa are different. They have different business goals, they face different problems and, accordingly, they implement different technologies. All this is reflected in the structure and size of their IT departments. They can be very different from each other. 

However, some regularities can be traced. As a rule, teams in modern companies, like Digicode, are formed around certain functions. In this article, we will talk about the most common types of IT teams, their roles, and their responsibilities.

Functions of IT teams

Which departments a company has in an IT team depends on the tasks that need to be performed. 

As a rule, we are talking about the following functions:  

1. Maintenance of IT systems. IT teams make sure that the company’s IT systems are working properly and update them when necessary.
2. Process automation. IT teams implement technologies that are best suited to automate certain business operations. 
3. Systems integration. IT teams are responsible for the correct collaboration of all systems used in the company. 
4. Data management. IT teams organize the collection, storage, protection, and processing of data. 
5. Ensuring cyber security. IT teams are responsible for securing systems, networks, devices, and data across a company. Providing technical support. IT teams help users resolve issues related to the operation of software or devices.

Now that you know what the IT departments usually do, let’s move on to the question of what types of teams we might encounter in different organizations.

Types of IT teams 

Modern approaches to the organization of work in companies and personnel management are largely changing the structure of IT teams and the distribution of roles in them. Yet, their main functions remain unchanged. 

Here is a brief overview of the most commonly encountered divisions:

1. The IT architect team is responsible for selecting and optimizing the technologies and methodologies that the company uses to solve certain problems. 
2. Administrators ensure the smooth operation of all information systems and networks in the organization. 
3. As the name suggests, the development team is focused on app development. As a rule, such commands are not permanent. They are formed at the time of the implementation of a particular project.
4. The main task of the QA team is to ensure the highest possible quality of the product being developed. 
5. The technical support division assists users when they have questions about working with software or devices, and keeps all departments of the company running smoothly. 
6. Cybersecurity teams ensure the protection of networks, systems, and data in the company. They develop procedures that should prevent any intrusions or leaks, as well as respond to incidents that occur.

Very often, small companies employ universal specialists with a wide range of technical data. In such cases, the structure of the IT team is simpler, and departments can perform several functions at once. In large organizations, on the contrary, the structure of teams is more complex and departments are highly specialized. 

However, many progressive companies that use modern HR practices tend to create cross-functional teams more often, when specialists with different technical knowledge work side by side.

We hope that now the structure of typical IT teams has become more understandable. But from what specialists are they formed?

Roles in IT teams 

Most people think of the IT department as a group of technology experts. Yet, everything is not so simple. In fact, there are varied roles in modern IT teams. They also depend on the chosen niche of an IT company. 

Let’s look at the most common professions:

1. The project manager is responsible for planning and executing all tasks for the project. It happens that the responsibilities of project managers in different companies are slightly different. Specialists can be responsible for projects of different levels of complexity and lead teams of different sizes. Often this is reflected in the level of wages.
2. IT analysts analyze all organizational processes in the company, study existing information systems and look for opportunities to optimize work.
3. Developers are just the people who write the code. They create software using various programming languages. Back-end developers build the internal logic and functionality of the product, and front-end developers, in turn, work on the elements that users interact with. 
4. QA specialists monitor the quality of the product, test it and identify flaws that need to be eliminated.
5. UI and UX designers focus on effective interaction between end users and the application. They design the interface in such a way that the product looks attractive and easy to use. 
6. Solution architects design IT systems and make sure that the new solution works well with the existing ones in the company. 
7. Cybersecurity professionals protect organizations from cyber threats and attacks. Their task is to anticipate and prevent possible problems. 
8. IT administrators are responsible for installing, maintaining, and configuring hardware, software, and networks in a company.

In organizations that use modern approaches (Agile, Scrum), the job responsibilities of some specialists, such as developers, administrators, and quality assurance specialists, may overlap. In organizations that use modern approaches (Agile, Scrum), the job responsibilities of some specialists, such as developers, administrators, and quality assurance specialists, may overlap.

What’s more, in order to succeed in the profession of a project manager, you will need a number of special skills and personal qualities. For example, among the most important soft or flexible skills are organizational skills, effective communication skills, analytical thinking, leadership skills, and time management skills.  

As far as technical skills and expertise are concerned, they depend on the industry and the company in which the project manager works.

Wrapping it up

As you can see, IT teams can be made up of different departments. Job titles vary from company to company. Yet, as long as each individual’s work aligns with the organization’s overall strategy and business goals, the structure of the IT department isn’t that important. 

However, it is necessary that each unit has a clear understanding of its duties and areas of responsibility, as Digicode explains. This is the only way to ensure that the company succeeds in today’s rapidly changing world of technology.