What SharePoint Developers Actually Do

It's simple to list the qualifications needed to become a SharePoint developer: in-depth familiarity with SharePoint Server and SharePoint Online; proficiency in programming languages like.NET, C#, CSS, HTML5, JavaScript, and jQuery; proficiency with development tools like Microsoft Visual Studio, PowerShell, and SharePoint Framework. However, given the breadth of the platform's capabilities, it can at times be challenging to understand all of the duties that SharePoint developers are responsible for.

Key responsibilities of SharePoint developers

We have finished 100 projects on SharePoint development since 2007 and (both the on-premises and the cloud-hosted deployments). They included major initiatives like the creation of an intranet from scratch and smaller initiatives like the creation of an approval procedure, an intranet chatbot, and web component modification. And we'd like to share with you our opinion on the primary duties of SharePoint professionals based on our expertise in SharePoint development.

Custom development

• Solutions:-

Intranets, portals, contract management systems, learning management systems, ticketing and help desk systems, and more are all created by SharePoint professionals. They modify these options for the industry and business size (small, midrange, and big) (healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, banking, etc.).

• Add-ins:-

Developers create pre-built add-ins to expand intranets' or portals' social or business-focused features.

• Features:-

Individual custom features like workflows, web parts, site templates, and other components can be created by SharePoint pros. For instance, they develop unique workflows to automate intricate procedures like a multistep, non-linear invoice review process.

Branding

Branding encourages user adoption and fosters a feeling of community inside an organization. And frequently, experts in SharePoint are requested to create a solution that won't resemble SharePoint. So they use SharePoint customisation, say developers. To give business intranets and extranets a distinctive appearance and feel, they alter platform elements including logos, styles, colors, master pages, and page layouts.

Integration

Professionals that work with SharePoint combine it with other Microsoft products and other solutions to enable seamless functioning of corporate operations. The platform's users are frequently asked to integrate it with business applications (CRM, ERP, PM, BI), other collaboration tools (Yammer, Microsoft Teams), email services (Exchange, Gmail), social media (Facebook, Twitter), learning management systems, and content management systems. However, experts can truly connect SharePoint with nearly any bespoke tool. They create bespoke integration modules and employ Business Connectivity Services, Active Directory, and APIs to communicate with any third-party interfaces.

Migration

Development work is usually necessary when upgrading a third-party or SharePoint solution to a newer version of SharePoint Server or SharePoint Online. When a new solution is needed, SharePoint developers assist in maintaining the original modifications.

Maintenance and support

When a SharePoint solution is implemented, professionals may offer after-launch support to guarantee that it functions effectively. Additionally, they may provide ongoing managed services for a predetermined time frame under a SLA (e.g., one year). In this situation, the duties of SharePoint professionals include developing new features to reflect shifting business demands, resolving technical issues like poor load times, installing upgrades to ensure faultless functioning, strong security, and enhanced usability (e.g., language patches).

Training users

Additionally, SharePoint experts provide admins and end users training on SharePoint usage, setup, and fundamental customisation. They support end users in gaining an understanding of the platform's out-of-the-box capabilities, swiftly acclimating to new tools and procedures, and effectively managing them.

Final considerations

The three main tasks of SharePoint developers are custom development, integration, and migration. Microsoft provides a series of certifications to assess a person's degree of SharePoint proficiency: Office 365 MCSA, Productivity MCSE, and Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) certifications are available.