John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorFebruary 26, 20255 Min ReadAndriy Popov via Alamy Stock PhotoTransforming a lackluster IT development team into a top performer isn't particularly difficult. It does, however, require a commitment to excellence that's achieved by practicing several essential traits.A focus on results is a key differentiator in high-performing IT teams that continue to be successful over the long term, says Shriram Natarajan, a director with technology research and advisory firm ISG. "For traditional IT teams, a customer focus would be sufficient, but development teams are one step removed from customer feedback," he observes in an email interview. "The team should be focused on the results they have set for themselves as measured by metrics, such as velocity, predictability, quality and acceptance."A high-performing development team consistently focuses on eliminating toil, says Matthew Sharp, CISO at Xactly, a provider of enterprise cloud-based sales performance management solutions. "This involves reducing or removing repetitive, manual, and tedious processes by building automated pipelines, tackling technical debt, and streamlining workflows," he explains in an online interview. "By minimizing unnecessary overhead, teams can focus their energy on impactful, innovative work, rather than on routine maintenance."Related:Achieving Full ProductivityEliminating toil not only enhances productivity, but also directly contributes to a better developer experience, Sharp says. "When teams feel empowered to focus on meaningful, creative tasks rather than repetitive ones, they tend to be happier, more engaged, and better equipped to deliver high-quality results."The most crucial habit of any high-performing IT development team is consistent, transparent communication coupled with systematic knowledge sharing, observes Harmeet Bhatia, a technical account manager at Amazon Web Services. "This habit goes beyond routine stand-ups or documentation -- it encompasses a culture where information flows freely and deliberately across all team members."In an email interview, Bhatia notes that open communication can be "extraordinarily effective," since it simultaneously addresses multiple critical development aspects. "When teams maintain open communication channels and actively share knowledge, they reduce bottlenecks, eliminate single points of failure, accelerate the onboarding of new members, and foster innovative problem-solving." A team member struggling with a complex bug, for instance, can benefit from a colleague's past experience with similar issues, potentially saving hours or days of troubleshooting.Related:High-performing teams need cooldown periods to stay at their best, observes Ludovic Dehon, CTO of Kestra, which offers an open-source orchestration and applications scheduling platform. "No one can keep up high-intensity work all of the time without burning out," he states via email. "We move through different seasons -- times of intense productivity that bring results, followed by rest seasons where we can take a breather, work on creative projects, or tackle lighter tasks."Knowledge SharingSuccessful teams treat knowledge sharing as a core part of their development process, not an optional add-on, Bhatia says. "They recognize that the time invested in communication and documentation pays dividends through improved code quality, faster problem resolution, and more resilient team structures," he explains. "This approach creates a positive feedback loop in which better communication leads to better outcomes, which in turn motivates more sharing." The key, Bhatia notes, is finding the sweet spot where communication enhances rather than impedes development work.Leaders should foster a culture of commitment, Natarajan recommends. Development work involves experimentation. "Leaders should focus on overall learning and progress rather than metrics like immediate velocity," he says. "This enables the development team to be creative in their approach and find power boosts -- like AI tools -- along the way."Related:Sharp suggests accepting a high tolerance for experimentation and learning from failures. "By accepting mistakes as part of the journey, teams can develop creative solutions and innovate more freely." He also recommends ensuring that every team member understands the "why" behind the project's goals. "When the whole team buys into the mission, they're more likely to take ownership of the processes that drive success."As a release deadline approaches, work grows increasingly intense as teams and their leaders race toward the finish line. "After we wrap-up the release, we get a breather -- two weeks to slow down, address technical debt, and think creatively about solving some of our toughest problems" Dehon says. "This natural cycle has helped our team bring fresh, creative ideas to some of our most challenging issues."Final ThoughtsSharp stresses the importance of aligning technical improvements with strategic business goals. "When IT and security teams understand the business impact of their work, they're motivated to innovate and reduce toil, knowing it benefits not only their efficiency but also the organizations overall success.""We all look forward to celebrating each release, knowing that once it's done, no one expects us to dive headfirst into the next cycle," Dehon says. "Instead, we get time to pause, appreciate what we've accomplished, and think deeply about what we want to tackle next."About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports