What Does a Software Programmer Do?

A software programmer’s duties and responsibilities can vary depending on the needs of the company for which he or she works. Programmers, on the other hand, are typically in charge of writing, editing, and evaluating the code that is used to create computer software and various types of programs and utilities. They might be involved in the early stages of developing a new program, such as creating the design document that will be used throughout the rest of the process. In many cases, a programmer simply follows the document created others and works to ensure that all required standards are met.

The creation of new code that is used to make a software program is one of the most important responsibilities of a software programmer. Depending on the programming language and platform used a software developer, this can be accomplished in a variety of ways. However, development typically entails the creation of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lines of code to ensure that the program functions properly. A software programmer is responsible for all of this, though on large projects, teams of programmers usually collaborate.

A software programmer’s code is typically based on the needs of the company for which he or she works, as well as the desired outcome for a specific program. This is frequently established a design document created at the start of a development cycle and outlining various aspects of the finished software. This document can help a programmer better understand how the final program should look and work. Although programmers may be involved in the creation of this document, it is usually created team leaders and head developers and then used to guide the work of various programmers working on a piece of software.

A software programmer may collaborate with testers and other departments as various sections of code are completed and pieced together to begin creating the final program. Typically, testing entails a group of people using a program or software application to see how well it works. As problems and errors are discovered, reports are generated, which programmers use to recreate the problem and determine its source. A programmer modifies software and adds documentation to the code to explain why certain changes were made, allowing a team to collaborate more effectively and see what others have done.