Codacy, a provider of code quality, coverage, and security analysis solutions, published results from a survey of more than 400 software development professionals, highlighting some of the greatest challenges teams are facing today in ensuring software quality.

LISBON, Portugal, May 24, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Codacy, a provider of code quality, coverage, and security analysis solutions, published results from a survey of more than 400 software development professionals, highlighting some of the greatest challenges teams are facing today in ensuring software quality.

While there wasn’t a single stand-out challenge, the four most common issues developers face in their efforts to ship high-quality code are a lack of time (31%), keeping up with technology changes (25%), team collaboration (24%), and proper tooling (17%).

“Many interconnected factors make producing quality code challenging. Certainly, the rapid pace of development and the pressure to ship code faster weigh heavy on developers, who are struggling with time constraints,” said Codacy CEO Jaime Jorge.

“The solution, then, must also be multifaceted and demands a holistic approach that includes improving processes, upskilling, enhancing collaboration, and making sure that teams have the tools they need to produce better software at an accelerated pace,” Jorge added.

Despite struggling with time constraints, the survey shows that most developers recognize the importance of performing proper code reviews. More than half (53%) of the developers surveyed consider code reviews a mandatory part of their workflow.

Once again, a majority (58%) said that a lack of time is the biggest obstacle faced when performing code reviews. To tackle this problem, 32% of developers surveyed dedicate time slots to conducting code reviews, and 31% integrate code reviews into their daily work routine.

Developers are also turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to improve productivity and speed up work processes. Codacy’s survey found that 64% of developers have integrated AI into their code production workflows, either extensively or for certain aspects like smart autocomplete and boilerplate code generation. Additionally, 28% of developers say they use AI extensively in their code review processes, while 33% use AI tools for specific code review tasks.

Interestingly, even though AI adoption continues to rise, the adoption of automated code-testing tools remains underwhelming. According to the survey results, most teams still favor manual testing approaches, which can be very costly in terms of the time it takes.

“Despite the advantages that automated testing offers, the low adoption level is easy to understand. Implementing automated tests requires investment in tools, training, and skilled personnel. Initial setup and script development for automation can also appear daunting, and teams already accustomed to manual testing are often resistant to change,” Jorge noted.

However, the adoption of cloud-based integrated development environments (CDEs) is on the rise. According to the survey, the software industry is witnessing a pivot towards CDEs, with 50% of respondents considering the adoption of CDEs and 14% already using them for software development.

“For decades, software development relied on local development environments. But code that functions perfectly on one developer’s machine might not work on another. This can lead to a bottleneck in productivity and, by extension, negatively affect the quality of the software being developed. With geographically distributed teams becoming the norm, it’s easy to see why CDEs are becoming more popular,” Jorge said.

However, another challenge teams face is getting management to invest in the tools they need to improve and maintain software quality. Codacy’s survey results illustrate how investment in code quality aligns with overarching business goals and simplifying complex concepts are the primary challenges dev teams face in getting buy-in from budget holders.

Finally, the survey’s results also show that application security is very much top-of-mind for most software developers today. Of the development teams polled, 84% conduct regular security audits, and 88% employ a dedicated security team or person.

Furthermore, 42% of respondents currently utilize static analysis security tools (SAST), while 45% employ dynamic application security testing tools (DAST).

To access the full State of Software Quality 2024 report and gain a deeper understanding of the insights and recommendations, download it here.

About the State of Software Quality Report

Codacy’s first-ever report on the State of Software Quality examines trends and challenges shaping the software landscape and how code creation and review practices are evolving along with those trends and challenges. The report’s findings are based on a survey in which 412 software development professionals participated. These individuals have hands-on experience in software development, covering diverse roles like software developers, engineers, team leads, and directors/CTOs. They operate across various industries and domains, including information services, data processing, finance, and healthcare. The survey delved into several aspects of software development, including code review practices, testing methodologies, software development tooling, and security practices.

About Codacy

Codacy is a developer-first, API-driven platform that provides a curated collection of best-in-class code analysis, security, coverage, and engineering performance tools. Codacy integrates seamlessly into existing development workflows, empowering development teams to deliver secure, high-quality software faster.

Media Contact

Codacy Marketing, Codacy, 351 216062033, marketing@codacy.com, https://www.codacy.com

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SOURCE Codacy