RightNow Connect Developer/Architect Skills

I often get asked “What are the minimum skills required for a developer looking to work with RightNow Connect”? Because this question comes to me at least twice a month we developed a set of personas and a skills matrix to help answer this question. The personas were broken down into a RightNow Connect Integration Architect and a RightNow Connect Integration Developer. The primary difference between the two is that the developer will primarily be tasked with the implementation where an architect may not actually be responsible for the implementation but will be responsible for the overall functionality and high level design.

The personas were then broken down into three different levels: introduction, standard and advanced. What level a developer or architect falls under is based on their capabilities not only with RightNow Connect but their ability in terms of development tools, design, implementation, architecture, etc… The level of developer/architect required will vary based on the requirements and complexity of the integration being done with RightNow Connect.

Finally we developed a skill set and preferred credentials for each persona. The skill set and credentials will resemble that of almost any software engineer job posting. These are more recommendations then steadfast rules. What is important is that the developer and architect can demonstrate competency in some area around development and architecture. How you determine this is another problem (and possible blog) in and of itself. There is no number of years experience or college degree which can guarantee this, it is something you can only discover through the right combination of interview questions, exercises and off the cuff conversations.

Take a look at the  RightNow Connect Developer/Architect Skill Set document and let us know your thoughts on the necessary skills required to work with RightNow Connect APIs.