Software Engineering Tools

If you want to become a software engineer, or you’re a software engineer who wants to increase your professional value, then you need to achieve peak efficiency. And that means choosing the best tools for the job.

In this article, we’re going to dive into the best tools to boost your coding output, so you can sail through every development project.

The Software Engineering Tools You Need

Of course, one of the most important skills you need to have in your toolkit is the knowledge of computer programming and coding. The knowledge of programming and coding is the most basic and essential skill that’s required by every individual who wants to make a mark in this field.

Simply put, computer programming and coding are the processes of creating instructions for the computer to perform its tasks. You’ll have to learn at least one programming language to start in the field. These languages include C#, C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, and Python to name a few. However, if you want to go far as a software engineer, you should know numerous languages. In fact, you’ll want to master at least two languages if you really want to stand out.

There are invaluable software tools that are meant to help managers prioritize their project deliverables. There are also a lot of tools for developers and software engineers to write code efficiently. With that being said, you need to know and be thoroughly well-versed in the tools that are used by most software engineers. This will make your professional journey super smooth.

Some of the most useful tools are listed below.

• GitHub: GitHub is a web-based hosting service that provides hosting for software development and version control. It uses Git, which is a command-line tool. GitHub has a graphical interface that allows you to access control. It has numerous features for collaboration on projects like wikis and basic task management for every project. GitHub is also invaluable because it unites the largest community of software developers in the world;  this is useful for you to discuss and deliver projects throughout the software development community.
• LeanKit: LeanKit is a cloud-based visual management system. It’s famous for enabling instant project visibility across all levels of the organization. It also helps teams collaborate faster and deliver projects on time. LeanKit emulates the conference room whiteboards where most projects are started and explained. It allows team members to post cards or virtual notes to signify tasks, user stories, or bugs that need attention. Some of its stand-out features are unlimited size file attachment, advanced Kanban capabilities, backlog management, custom board templates, multi-device accessibility, and enhanced security.
• ProofHub: ProofHub is a project planning software and it has almost every tool that a team might need to achieve timely deliverables on a project. It’s intuitive, straightforward, and customizable to the needs and preferences of its users. The features that make ProofHub highly desirable among software engineers and developers are seamless team communication, centralized files, and documents, mobile and tablet compatibility, workflows and project boards, custom project reports, timers, and timesheets.
• Adobe Dreamweaver CC: This is a comprehensive web development tool for designers who code. It has a visual development application and is highly popular among software engineers and developers. You can use it to create, publish, and manage not only websites and mobile applications but also their content. The Adobe Dreamweaver CC offers some highly useful features such as code introspection, dynamic code editor, in-context CSS documentation, timely updates, CSS editing, and multi-device support.
• Codenvy: Codenvy is built on Eclipse Che, an open-sourced, cloud-based IDE (Integrated Development Environment). It’s meant for coding, building, and debugging web applications. It provides a platform for remote development to teams for one-click developer environments, team onboarding and collaboration, and a workspace platform for development operations. Codenvy’s highlights are APIs and extensions, version control, automated workspace, scale development, and resource limits.
• Crimson Editor: Crimson Editor is a freeware source code, text, and HTML editor for Microsoft and Windows. It also supports various other programming languages like C, C++, Perl, and Java. Some of its features which make it a great replacement for products like Notepad are built-in FTP, clean and intuitive interface, text editor features, and syntax highlighting configurations.
• Axosoft: Axosoft is a software development tool that uses intuitive Scrum software. It’s used by engineering and development teams. This tool is built to enable effective project management and issue tracking. It’s accessible both as a hosted and on-premise software. Some of its major features are Scrum planning board, workflow automation, bug tracking, data visualization, reporting, and SCM integration.
• Code Climate: Code Climate is an open-source platform meant to enable automated code review. It provides three kinds of GitHub pull requests. It also commits statuses so that you can determine whether the code should be merged or not at a glance. The purpose of this tool is to aid IT professionals to ensure that their code is in good shape during the development process. Code Climate checks the code for issues like style, security, duplications, complexity, and so on. It’ll help you to sustain the most optimal code quality in your projects. Some of its outstanding features are team management, test coverage, data-driven engineering, shared and organization-wide configuration, and automated code review.
• IFTTT: Short for ‘If This Then That’, IFTTT is a freeware web-based service that allows users to formulate strings of uncomplicated conditional statements called ‘applets’. It’s most useful in social media management and development. It’ll allow you to synchronize your products and services with various other apps. Features that make IFTTT stand out are its applet repository, guided custom recipe, IF recipes, and analytics.
• Bitbucket: Bitbucket is a web-based repository hosting service with version control. With this tool, you can work together on code with pull requests and inline comments. You can also manage and share your Git repositories to create and ship software with your team. The highlights of this tool are Git repository hosting, issue tracking, pull requests, branch permissions, inline discussions, smart mirroring, and Git large file support.
• Planbox: Planbox is a tool that enables you to manage and organize all your innovation pipelines and portfolios with the help of its powerful analytics engine. It consists of four levels of organizational features that keep several teams working in tandem with one another. The top line feature contains initiatives, which contains projects full of items. These items are in turn filled with tasks. As the tasks keep getting completed, Planbox keeps track of the progression and creates reports for all the stakeholders of the project.
• Telerik TeamPulse: This tool is especially useful in the mobile application development marketplace. It’s also a project tracking tool in which the main screen consists of a page of tasks that are to be completed. The menus feature provides options for configuration and a range of reports displaying the evolution of a project and its completion. TeamPulse is compatible with Telerik’s other tools that are used for building and testing code.

Other Useful Software Engineering Tools

With the above-mentioned technical tools, you’ll be knocking out projects left and right. But technical tools and skills alone won’t guarantee that you’ll thrive in the industry for the long haul. Software engineering is not a solitary profession, and you’ll have to work in teams. So it’s a good idea to develop some soft skills.

Communication is the key that can make or break a project. To get your point across to team members, understand their requirements, suggest ideas to your clients, and other important activities, you need to be an effective and empathetic communicator. It’ll also help you minimize confusion and complete projects efficiently.

Another important soft skill you should have is the ability to problem solve. This is a combination of other soft skills or traits like innovation, creativity, curiosity, efficiency, and critical thinking. Software engineering is a dynamic field and you’ll be swamped with challenges every day. You need to develop a positive attitude to meet challenges head-on and always be ready to look for solutions. Teamwork, attention to detail, multitasking, and time management are some other soft skills that’ll make you a valued asset to any organization.

Become a Software Engineer

If you’re an aspiring developer who’s figuring out how to rise up the ranks in the engineering team, or even how to transition from a totally different career, then you’ll benefit from our Software Engineering Program.

It’s been developed to help you land a job you’ll love. It’s only 5 months long, so you’ll be immersed in your career in less than a year. If you’re interested, or if you have more questions, then book some time with a member of our team who’d be happy to help!