7 tips to hire the best Java development team

Updated August 2021

As per research conducted by Statista in 2020, “Java is one of the top five most widely used programming languages globally.” It is one of the sought after programming languages as it is platform-independent and object-oriented.

According to Evans Data Corporation, “the worldwide population of professional developers is projected to grow from 23.9 million in 2019 to 28.7 million in 2024.” With the availability of this exorbitant pool of developers, it shouldn’t be difficult to identify the right Java development team, but it can nevertheless be challenging.

This article will discuss the cardinal aspects to consider when choosing a dedicated team for Java development services.

1. Project requirement analysis

   Defining the project goal is the fundamental step in software development. It enables you to create a project roadmap and to allocate resources (both human and financial). Use the following guidelines to analyze your project requirements:

   1. What does the application intend to do?
   2. What existing user pain points will the application address?
   3. What features will it have?
   4. What is the maintenance and support plan once the initial application is developed?
   5. What is the monetization model?

2. Categorizing the application properly

   Every software project is unique. Hence, the technical requirements for the team of java developers vary based on the application category. It is imperative to categorize your project before you start hiring dedicated Java developers.

   1. Java web development – a Java web developer should know how HTML forms work, understand the Server lifecycle, JSP interaction, and JSTL tag library.
   2. Java for app creation– creating enterprise applicationsrequires experienced Java developers who can design, develop, test, and deploy apps seamlessly.
   3. Java for game development – hire a creative development team that knows how to use libraries for game creation like LWJGL for 3D or JavaFX for 2D. The team should also be well aware of the available video game engines like LibGDX and JMonkey Engine.
   4. Java for product development–identify an experienced team with knowledge in project planning, designing the project architecture, developing effective products, quality assurance, testing, migration, porting, and post-development support.
   5. Java system integration and testing – hire developers who can seamlessly integrate Java applications with the framework of your choice. Ensure that the developers know service-oriented architecture for integration and the ETVXstrategy (Entry Criteria, Task, Validation, and Exit Criteria) for testing.
   6. Java app up-gradation, migration, and maintenance – hire a team with good knowledge of the latest tools and frameworks for app up-gradation and maintenance. Ensure the developers have in-depth knowledge about risk assessment reporting and risk preparedness when it comes to migration.

3. Industry-specific projects

   Projects across industries use Java for their development. Choose a development team that has prior experience in developing projects in your sector. It will optimize resource utilization and will ensure on-time project completion.

4. Java frameworks

   There are numerous Java frameworks for developing mobile apps and intuitive websites. Do your due diligence to ensure you are choosing the right framework for your product. Here is a list of the most popular frameworks.

   • Spring – With its concept of dependency injection and aspect-oriented Java programming features, Spring is a sought after framework. It serves vital purposes like securing your web applications, share data through RESTful URL, and communicating with the database.
   • Struts– it follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) model and extends the JSP API. The prime advantages of Struts are time-efficient development and ease of maintenance.
   • Hibernate–use this framework form mapping an object-oriented domain model to a relational database. Data independence, dual-layer caching, and transparent persistence make Hibernate a preferred Java framework.
   • Apache Wicket–it is component-based, having Java and HTML frameworks. The main features of Apache Wicket are the POJO component model, reusable components, transparent clustering support, multi-tab, and multi-window support.

5. Hiring model

   There are two major engagement models when it comes to hiring. You can choose the one that best fits your company.

   1. Dedicated team – this should be your choice when the project scope is vastand is not clearly defined upfront.
   2. Fixed bid model should be your option if your project deadline is a priority and if the project specifications are clear will remain unchanged.

6. Interview process

   Choosing the right development team requires a stringent selection process. Make a list of skill sets that the development team should possess. You can use the following guidelines for interviewing prospective candidates.

   According to Collabera, a pioneer in the IT and professional staffing and services industry, here is a list of basic Java developer skills and advanced skills for Java developers.

   Basic Java developer skills:

   1. JavaServer pages (JSP) and servlets
   2. Web frameworks (e.g., Struts and Spring)
   3. Service-oriented architecture/web services (SOAP/REST)
   4. Web technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQuery
   5. Markup languages like XML and JSON
   6. Object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts and patterns
   7. Abstract classes and interfaces
   8. Constructors
   9. File IO and serialization
   10. Collections: lists, maps, sets
   11. Access specifiers
   12. Exceptions (checked and unchecked)
   13. Generics
   14. Java keywords: static, final, volatile, synchronized, transient, this super, etc.
   15. Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and memory management
   16. Multithreading and synchronization
   17. Dependency injection

   Advanced skills for Java developers:

   1. AI and machine learning
   2. Blockchain
   3. Python
   4. Amazon Web Services
   5. Hadoop/Big Data
   6. Mobile technologies (Android or OS)
   7. Advanced JavaScript framework (e.g., Angular, React, VueJS)
   8. Spring Boot/microservices

7. Communication

   Choose a team that understands your project goals and can communicate with you regularly. To quote Diana Booher, an American author and communication expert, “good decisions can turn into disasters when communicated poorly.”

CONCLUSION

Software project development is a rigorous process, hence requiring an expert development team. Choosing the right team will ensure seamless project delivery and optimal utilization of available resources.

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