Zenhub recently launched the results of its 2022 Software Developer Happiness report and its impact on business productivity. To find out more, VMblog reached out to Aaron Upright, co-founder of Zenhub, to get the details.
VMblog: Before
we get started, can you give VMblog viewers a quick background on Zenhub and
its role in software development?
Aaron Upright: Zenhub
actually started as an internal solution at a tech incubator called Axiom Zen,
which is also famous for starting Dapper Labs, the creators of CryptoKitties
and NBA TopShot. In brief, Zenhub enables software teams at high-growth
organizations like startups and scale-ups to build better code faster with its
developer-friendly productivity and project management platform. Zenhub
dramatically boosts collaboration and coordination for teams working in GitHub
with automated agile features, real-time roadmap visibility, and team
productivity insights. More than 8,000 disruptive software teams worldwide rely
on Zenhub to ship great code faster.
VMblog: You announced a new report on Developer Happiness. What is the objective of
this report?
Upright: The
2022 Software Developer Happiness report is based on a survey of 380 software
professionals. It is the first to truly show a quantitative link between
developer happiness and productivity. Its objective is to provide clarity on
the priorities, goals, and challenges of software developers, but also to help those who work with
developers identify how to create a happier and more productive environment by
understanding the state of developer's work life and what matters to them. This
inaugural report provides insights into what software developers look for in
their careers, organizational culture, and the tools they use to complete their
jobs.
VMblog: What
are some of the key takeaways from the data provided?
Upright: Probably
the primary finding is that developers are happiest and stay at their jobs
longer when empowered to focus on building code. This means spending less time
interacting with management, attending meetings, or resolving and integrating
multiple solutions. The results of the
report also emphasized the importance of work-life balance in encouraging
developers to stay at their current job for longer, while poor work-life
balance accelerates the hunt for another job. These insights into developer
retention are especially critical as, according to the report, 71% of
developers haven't decided how long they'll stay with their current employer.
The report also suggested that 33% of developers have stayed in a job longer
than usual due to the pandemic, which could mean an increase in developer turnover
as the pandemic comes to an end.
Another key finding is
that collaboration challenges are viewed as the biggest impediment to developer
productivity. Delays in feedback results in lost productivity; nearly 70% lose
a minimum of 3 hours per week per developer and 75% spend at least an hour per
week on reporting instead of writing code.
Finally, developers say
their biggest priority is ensuring their software keeps up with the business's
demands, and most developers want high-performance productivity tools. In fact,
93% of developers believe these tools are critical to their success.
VMblog: What
recommendations does Zenhub have for software development teams, product leads,
and CTO/CIOs?
Upright: For
team leads and more senior management, the biggest way to increase developer
happiness is simply to let them focus on coding. Developers like to showcase
their skills, so encouraging them to work on interesting and impactful projects
that challenge their skill sets is a great way to boost morale. Ensuring an
appropriate work-life balance and paying the developers competitively are the
other two recommendations for improving developer retention.
Developers can boost
their own happiness at work by embracing a diverse set of interests and
activities, while also choosing to work in an environment that enables them to
be their most focused and productive.
VMblog: Where
can our viewers get a hold of the detailed results?
Upright: The
full report provides further detailed analyst recommendations for project
managers, product owners, team leads, and executives. The entire report and its
ground-breaking insights can be downloaded for free here: https://www.zenhub.com/reports/software-developer-happiness-report
##
Aaron Upright co-founded Zenhub in 2015 as a
company to empower software development with flexible workflow and organization
within GitHub using a fully featured integrated project management platform for
Agile development. Zenhub helps development teams build better software faster.
Aaron currently serves as the Head of Strategic Accounts, managing both
strategic partnerships and customer relationships, while helping current and
prospective users get the most out of their experience with Zenhub. Previous to
founding Zenhub, Aaron served on the team at technology incubator, AxiomZen,
where he focused on developing go-to-market strategies for early-stage
companies. It was here that Aaron formed Zenhub.