Faster development benefits to business, teams and how tech is vital in enabling transformation.

Ever since Gene Kim, Jez Humble and others took single piece flow from manufacturing and applied it to the devops movement it has been clear that moving faster, in smaller increments has been the way forward, but why? In this blog I want to explore the benefits for companies and the teams who follow faster development models and how technology is key to aiding this transformation safely.

The Benefits of Faster Software Development for Companies

Faster software development offers numerous advantages to companies, including reduced time-to-market, increased agility, and cost efficiency. By accelerating the development process, companies can bring products to market more quickly, providing a significant competitive advantage. McKinsey’s Developer Velocity Index (DVI) shows businesses scoring in the top quartile have revenue growth 4-5x faster than those in the bottom quartile.

This is particularly crucial in fast-paced industries where being first can lead to capturing substantial market share. Moreover, rapid development allows companies to swiftly respond to emerging trends and customer needs, enabling them to capitalise on new opportunities. Now compound that acceleration and your competitors don’t stand a chance…

In terms of agility, faster development cycles empower companies to quickly adapt to changes in the market, user feedback, or technological advancements. This adaptability ensures that products remain relevant and competitive. Additionally, companies benefit from the ability to release updates and new features more frequently, keeping their software products up-to-date and enhancing user satisfaction.

Cost efficiency is another significant benefit. Accelerated development reduces the time and resources needed for projects, resulting in considerable cost savings. This efficiency is often achieved through automation, agile methodologies, and effective project management. Furthermore, faster development models emphasise continuous integration and testing, which helps identify and fix bugs earlier, thereby reducing the costs associated with post-release defects.

The Benefits for Engineering Teams Adopting Faster Development Models

Engineering teams also experience substantial benefits from adopting faster development models, including enhanced collaboration and communication, increased efficiency and productivity, and greater job satisfaction, but Google’s own journey shows us that this requires “team members have a strong enough sense of psychological safety to take risk and make mistakes”, but when we commit to the cultural shift the benefits are clear for the teams themselves.

Faster development models, such as Agile and DevOps, encourage closer collaboration between different functions within the engineering team. This cross-functional integration breaks down silos and fosters a more collaborative environment. Regular communication through daily stand-ups, retrospectives, and planning sessions ensures alignment among team members, reducing misunderstandings and enabling quicker resolution of issues.

Adopting faster development models often involves streamlining workflows and automating repetitive tasks, leading to higher productivity. Engineers can then focus more on coding and problem-solving. Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery models further enhance productivity by enabling faster feedback loops through automated testing and deployment processes, allowing for quicker identification and resolution of issues.

Job satisfaction is also significantly improved through these models. Engineers are empowered with more autonomy and decision-making authority, which increases their sense of ownership and motivation. Additionally, the ability to see the direct impact of their work through continuous delivery and frequent releases can be highly rewarding, leading to higher morale and job satisfaction. 

In fact so important is the need to support developers as their contribution to organisational success increases that Deloitte has coined the term DevEx in their report Accelerating developer experience, saying “DevEx consists of the range of mutually reinforcing capabilities that an organization provides to maximize developer productivity and developer satisfaction.” This approach is not merely technological, but a holistic approach which yields a 60% higher revenue growth when implemented successfully.

The Role of Technology Platforms in Supporting Faster Development Models

Technology platforms play a crucial role in supporting the transition to faster software development models by enabling companies and engineering teams to manage and control feature releases independently from code deployments. McKinsey goes so far as to say that “best-in-class tools are the top contributor to business success” in the article - Developer Velocity: How software excellence fuels business performance

These platforms enhance collaboration and communication through features like feature flags, which allow teams to manage features separately from deployments. This decoupling fosters smoother collaboration between developers, testers, and product managers, reducing dependencies and streamlining the development process. Furthermore, these platforms provide granular control over feature rollouts, facilitating effective collaboration and communication across multidisciplinary teams.

In terms of efficiency and productivity, technology platforms offer capabilities such as instant rollbacks, which minimise downtime and enhance productivity by avoiding time-consuming redeployments. They also support staged rollouts, allowing teams to release features gradually to specific user groups. This approach helps identify potential issues early, enabling faster iterations and reducing the risk associated with rapid development cycles.

Importantly, these platforms significantly mitigate the risks of moving quickly. By allowing features to be deployed in an "off" state or controlling their rollout to a limited audience, they reduce the anxiety and potential negative impact of widespread issues. This controlled approach to feature deployment empowers engineers to experiment and innovate confidently, knowing that any potential issues can be swiftly addressed without affecting the broader user base.

Conclusion

Faster software development models offer substantial benefits for both companies and engineering teams. For companies, it means quicker time-to-market, increased agility, and cost efficiency. For engineering teams, it fosters better collaboration, higher productivity, and greater job satisfaction. Technology platforms are instrumental in supporting this transformation, providing the tools necessary to manage feature releases effectively, reduce deployment risks, and enable continuous innovation. As businesses continue to seek ways to accelerate their software development processes, these platforms will be essential in achieving these goals, ensuring that both the products and the teams behind them are set up for success.