As a creator of business-enhancing technologies, software development is at the forefront of what we do at LCS. In the early 1980s, our President and CEO, Dave Hegemann, developed Rent Manager property management software to make it easier for his family to maintain their mixed-use property. It was from this humble beginning that our company has grown into the titan of software development it is today, with more than 170 developers currently on staff.
From writing the code to troubleshooting, our software developers work relentlessly on cutting-edge projects that directly impact the day-to-day operations of our customers. We recently caught up with a few of our developers to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work they do every day.
A Wide Scope
LCS’ software developers have a hand in nearly every product we offer, including Rent Manager and qManage service desk software. Comprised of multiple roles and teams, the Software Development department splits its duties across different teams, allowing individuals to focus on a specific aspect of development and different daily tasks. With various projects including desktop, web, and mobile solutions, there’s never a shortage of new and exciting things to work on.
Day-to-Day
A developer’s day typically begins with reviewing the previous day’s projects, and any outstanding to-dos, usually in a small team meeting called a stand-up. In these meetings, team members go over any issues they ran into in their projects, and then the group focuses on individual goals for the rest of the workday. “We’ll look at our board and see what bugs or hotfixes or high-priority items there are,” says Software Developer Daniel Hackney. “If there are any, then that’s generally what we’ll choose to do. But other than that, there’s tons of different features or project-related work that we can kind of pick and choose as we please. So, every day is different in that sense.”
After the collaborative meetings, the rest of the day tends to be independent work, according to Software Developer Lauren Kahrs. “Sometimes we’ll have meetings with managers or if I’m working on a code piece that isn’t really making sense, so I need to talk with another team… I’ll be messaging [them] about different things that we need to work on,” she says. But usually, “it’s just heads-down coding unless I come up with an issue or feel blocked on something.”
A Wealth of Knowledge
One of the major differences between LCS and other software companies? According to Software Developer Frank Jung, it’s that despite us being a large company, we have the advantages of a small company. “I know that everybody above me—team lead, manager, director, CTO, president—they did my job. They know what it takes to do the job, and I can talk to them at any given time.”
Making a Difference
Through their knowledge and dedication, our software developers constantly provide top-of-the-line projects and solutions that directly benefit our customers. It’s this hands-on approach that allows our developers to truly flourish in their careers and makes each member of the team feel like their work makes a difference.
“I feel like I’m making an impact at LCS,” says Kahrs, “especially with the features that I make because those are things […] I can only imagine how much it helps someone else’s day-to-day life when they get these new features that just make it so they have to work one less hour on this [menial] task and they can actually work on things that matter.”
Developing a Career at LCS
Through collaboration, teambuilding, and continued education, our software developers work in an empowering, supportive environment that enables them to grow and succeed within their role. The entire LCS team works hard together to put forth innovative technologies and quality products and services that enable our customers to reach new heights in their business, while also building each other up through teambuilding activities and continued professional development.
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