As
the impact of COVID-19 on organizations continues to bite, developers are
playing a key role in helping organizations meet their digital
transformation goals despite facing significant challenges, according to the
second of three pieces of research from Couchbase. In
the survey of 450 European and U.S. senior IT decision makers,
92 percent of respondents believed that DevOps could have a revolutionary
impact on their digital transformation efforts, while 63 percent said that the
flexibility to change their goals when needed has been significantly helpful or
indispensable in meeting their digital transformation goals. However, this
flexibility has come at a cost: 49 percent of respondents reported their
development teams have indicated they are being asked to do too much in too
little time.
"In
a year when organizations have had to struggle to adapt to new decentralized
ways of working and rapidly evolving markets, developers have come under severe
pressure to help their organizations adapt," said Steve Yen, Co-Founder of
Couchbase. "And, development teams need the right support; from clear
project goals to the right tools and technologies that support agility and
rapid adaptability in these changing times."
There
are challenges for both organizations and developers; 86 percent of respondents
experienced challenges with their development teams, including:
- Setting clear, measurable goals for the development team
(40 percent)
- Ensuring development teams always have the right technology
(40 percent)
- Ensuringthe development team clearly understands the
organization's strategic goals (31 percent)
- Identifying and solving the challenges facing development
teams (31 percent)
While
developers' contributions are undeniable, these challenges may still be
preventing them from reaching their full potential. 40 percent of respondents
said their development teams were behind schedule with their current
projects.
"Even
in the current crisis, organizations are investing in developers - in fact, our
survey revealed that development teams have grown by an average 20 percent in
2020," continued Yen. "To get the most out of this important investment, there
needs to be investment in not just people, but also in the technology,
management, and communication that will help individuals succeed. Ultimately,
if businesses can help their developers become more agile and flexible, they
will find it easier to ensure they are focused in the right
direction. In an increasingly challenging world, developers have a vital role
to play. Investing in them in the right way will help them play to
win."
Couchbase
performed its research to understand the challenges of digital transformation
for developers, digital architects, and the CIO themselves. In its next update,
it will examine the stresses and technical challenges facing the architecture
team.