Business leaders express dissatisfaction with the speed of software development, according to a recent survey
In a new study by Forrester Research, business leaders have expressed a desire to have new IT systems operational within six months. However, the journey towards achieving this goal is fraught with complexities, according to the report.
The study, which surveyed 325 business and IT leaders from the US, UK, and Australia, suggests a mismatch in the perception of the software development function between business and IT leaders. Business leaders are more likely to see the software development function as a service provider, while IT leaders are less likely to do so. In fact, more than four out of ten (42%) business leaders see the software development function as "order takers".
One of the key challenges identified in the study is cultural misalignment. Teams may lack alignment on goals or resist changes necessary for new IT implementations. Older infrastructure, known as legacy systems, also requires significant modernization before integration, extending timelines.
Escalating costs, due to the high costs of new technology adoption and maintenance, and stringent security and compliance requirements add further obstacles. The accumulated burden of outdated or poorly maintained technology, known as technical debt, creates obstacles for rapid deployment.
Disjointed sourcing decisions across enterprise portfolios, or fragmented provider ecosystems, cause inefficiencies and slow progress. The practice of rolling out large software upgrades intermittently, rather than small ones regularly, also slows down the development process.
Forrester argues that a major reason for the delay in delivering IT systems within six months is a low level of maturity in continuous delivery. Agile and lean development practices, continuous integration, and dev-ops techniques are claimed to reduce the amount of time it takes to release new software. However, the study found that many IT departments have not mastered 'continuous delivery'. Only 44% of IT leaders consistently automate software deployment.
Despite these challenges, the study found that only 7% of IT leaders see themselves as order takers. When IT leaders were asked how quickly they could deliver a product or service, only 30% said it would be within the six-month time frame.
The study was sponsored by development consultancy ThoughtWorks. It underscores that while AI and cloud technologies promise agility and innovation, the effective implementation of these technologies remains complex, and many organizations struggle to achieve rapid deployment within their aggressive six-month goals.
Business leaders aim to implement new IT systems within six months, but the report by Forrester Research suggests this goal is challenging due to cultural misalignment, technical debt, disjointed sourcing decisions, and a low level of maturity in continuous delivery. Furthermore, the study reveals a mismatch in perception between business and IT leaders regarding the software development function; business leaders tend to view it as a service provider, while IT leaders are less likely to do so.
