7 interesting facts about software development executives should know

7 interesting facts about software development executives should know

Since software development is continuously evolving and adapting to technological and industry changes, we share interesting facts about software development all executives should bear in mind.

7 software development facts all executives should know

Although software development has been evolving over the last decades, and almost every company requires any system, software, or application, this is an industry where everyone should be aware of every signal of change due to its never-ending transformation.

COVID-19 has rapidly escalated this situation. In 2020, many companies and organizations worldwide had to review their digital and IT strategies, and they turned their eyes toward new, different needs and challenges. It seems that this scenario will be constantly changing in the following years as well.

For that reason, here we will share some interesting facts and stats every business leader should bear in mind to know the current state of software development and have a clear look at where it’s heading.

1. Hiring and retaining talent

7 software development facts all executives should know Hiring and retaining developers are key parts of every IT, software, and development company’s department. In order to understand how companies manage their IT recruitment processes and based on the 2020 state of software development report, we could arrive at some conclusions.

The survey reveals that employee referrals and having in-house recruiters are some of the most effective hiring methods. Regarding the most important hiring criteria, the list is topped by a willingness to learn, followed by cultural fit, the technical skill evaluation test, and work experience. In that sense, degrees and certifications became something secondary.

In terms of the attraction strategy, companies’ main three factors when bringing in new software developers to their staffs are culture and team spirit, offering employees interesting and challenging tasks, and having flexible working hours.

2. Challenges in software development

One of the biggest challenges companies have to face at the moment is related to capacity. According to the same report made by Coding Sans, this concern tops the ranking with 22.46%.

In order to improve capacity, one of the most popular solutions is to hire more talent so more developers can get things done. After that comes implementing Agile methodologies within projects thanks to its perks in productivity, quality, and continuous improvement.

This challenge is closely followed by knowledge sharing. What teams usually do regarding this involves many actions such as mentoring, pair programming and code reviews, tech talks, internal documentation, and wikis where everybody can collaborate.

You might like this article: Agile process improvement: ways to boost your software projects

3. Software outsourcing

Considering that hiring professionals and coping with the capacity issues can be an ongoing issue for companies looking to boost their businesses, outsourcing software services has become a great choice with excellent results.

The report states that 37% of companies have outsourced software development, fully or partially,  in the last year. Out of these companies, 56% of them have worked with software development companies, and 19% prefer a mixture between software factories and freelancer professionals. Regarding the satisfaction level, the survey reveals that 64% of them are totally or somewhat satisfied.

4. The need for innovation is growing like wildfire

With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to digital transformation at a speed never seen before, over 500 million new applications are likely to be built globally over the next five years, most of them using cloud-native approaches.

According to an IDC report, by 2023, over 50% of all ICT spending will go toward digital transformation and innovation. This represents 27% more than 2018 and a compound annual rate of 17%. One last piece of data — the number of internet users will be more than double by 2025.

Innovation is taking a higher place in the software development demands. From now on, the rise of APIs, cloud computing, and microservices, to name a few technologies, will provide software developers with a network that supports the backend infrastructure and the frontend user experience without building from scratch. They can operate in a creative, user-centered environment to focus on the outcomes.

5. Programming languages

Which are the most used programming languages by developers? What languages will be used in the next few years?

According to the Stack Overflow’s 2020 Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most popular language among developers, followed by HTML/CSS and SQL. The same was revealed by a study made by Statista, which stated that by 2020, JavaScript would be the most popular programming language used by almost 70% of software developers.

Over the next years, the programming languages that are likely to be used include Python, Go, and Kotlin, as well as Ruby, Swift, and Scala.

6. Shift to remote work

7 software development facts all executives should know

It seems like remote work is here to stay, as its popularity hasn’t stopped growing, especially since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to a Gartner survey, 74% of companies plan to permanently shift to more remote work post COVID-19. Therefore, we should not be surprised if companies decide to transform their businesses into fully remote enterprises in the coming years, since statistics undoubtedly reflect the upcoming trend.

Consequently, we are witnessing a mindset shift in how software development teams can and should collaborate from now on.

Content related: Best practices for working with remote teams during COVID-19

7. Scrum methodology

According to the 14th Annual State of Agile Report, the survey revealed that Scrum heads the list of the 2020 top five Agile methodologies used by developers with 58%. This approach has a clear advantage compared to other methodologies, where Kanban follows in the ranking.

To sum up

The software industry is an ever-changing landscape. For that reason, executives and business leaders who are willing to enter this world and those already immersed in these deep waters must first have a clear understanding of the current state of software development and the upcoming trends that will prevail in the near future. We intend to share some interesting facts about software development. Do you have any others in mind?

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