The Modern Developer Portal
As banks up their technology game and reach into the digital lives of their customers, the need to support the developers working behind the scenes has become more important than ever.
Technology is moving fast and everyone is trying to keep up, including the developers who are responsible for delivering quality as well as secure and innovative solutions.
After a busy 2019, I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on some of the themes that resonated with me from the CCS Insight paper: Developer Portals: Transformational Agility for the Banking Sector:
- Developer support
- Expert sharing
- Curated content, programs, and resources
In a world where innovating and keeping pace with market trends are critical, it’s fair to say that software companies can sometimes neglect to publicly provide some essential resources. These can include elements such as: documentation, tutorials, training, how-to videos, code samples, sandboxes, and general support to the developers working to deliver solutions around their products. Providing self-service support in the form of readily available resources and knowledge gives developers the confidence to explore and develop solutions around the tech stack. A well-run and easy to use developer community provides a 24/7 one stop shop for these resources and support, allowing developers around the globe to solve problems in real time and innovate quickly.
From my work with the developer community on Temenos Base Camp, I see developers using the community in many ways, working through simple and complex integration challenges as well as coding and design problems. People ask questions, and experts readily come forward to lend their expertise or opinion.
This type of quick and relevant engagement gives developers:
- Enhanced expertise
- Confidence in their solutions
- Access to innovation
- A sense of being part of something bigger
Engaging on a public forum with a community of likeminded members, expands the body of knowledge and expertise available to developers who may have similar questions down the road. Experts on the community include seasoned developers from our Systems Integrators (SIs) and internal product Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) as well as long-time users who have built their careers around a particular domain or industry of technology. When expertise is rich and there is a generous level of sharing amongst the members, everyone wins.
Because technology is constantly evolving a developer community should have the most current and up-to-date content and resources. Product teams must constantly update member developers on changes, for example, the impact of mobile operating system updates on their software and how to address these changes as they happen. A community team should work to carefully curate relevant and value added content for their membership. A program that includes webinars, tech talks, expert articles, and product workarounds ensures members are supported, informed, and empowered to create compelling solutions. An expanded range of resources and tools to empower developers as they tackle the day to day challenges of developing and delivering solutions is essential.
Engagement with a developer community whether it is online, or face to face at dedicated events, bridges the gap between product teams and the end users opening up opportunities for enhanced collaboration and innovation.
In 2020 I am looking forward to bringing more of the things that matter to our developers. I am also looking forward to meeting members from the community in person at our regional Temenos developer events and our global Developer Conference, Temenos SCALE, in November.
