The need for DevX

As budgets remain tight and CTOs are unable to bring in new talent, operational efficiency is becoming an even bigger priority. For engineering teams, optimising the developer experience of the tools they use – a relatively new concept called DevX – is a great way to boost productivity and future-proof your business.?

Every business function - sales and marketing, HR, finance – has its own tech stack that’s bought in and used as designed. Engineering is unique, because as well as buying in and modifying tools, they build their own.

That should make it easier to periodically redesign your tools and processes, but established companies like banks often choose to continue building on what they have, leading to layers of code and legacy platforms that become ever more difficult to change.

As engineers bring in different programming languages and products, software becomes clunky and difficult to work with. When a new engineer is asked to deliver a product, they find it complicated and slow.

Why DevX is the answer to many of today’s challenges

It’s a difficult problem for established companies to solve, but for young companies, it is not just a vital consideration, it’s an opportunity to increase their value. By keeping operational efficiency and #DevX at the forefront of their strategy as they build out their tech stacks, the choices they make will have a huge impact on the ability of their engineers to deliver quality, robust code at speed.

DevX is about more than tools however. It’s also about the process. A DevX expert understands the principles of agile, for example, and how to get engineering teams working well together. They understand the experience of working in efficient, high-output teams, and the strategy needed to work smarter, not harder. At its core, that is the underlying principle of DevX.

The benefits of DevX are wide-ranging. As DevX strategy is implemented, productivity and development speed should both increase, along with the quality of the product. It has a positive impact on the engineering workforce too, driving up engineer satisfaction and retention.

It can also increase the enterprise value of the business. A company that invests in best practices and DevX will be seen as a more attractive prospect by investors and can justify higher multiples during valuation.

To realise these benefits, companies will need internal DevX roles, but unlike DevOps, which has been around for some time, DevX is relatively new and those specialist roles are only beginning to appear. However, I think we will see more and more opportunities for experts whose sole focus is on evaluating the tools and processes of an engineering team and optimising for success, provided there is a willingness at the senior management level.

The obstacles to DevX and how CTOs can overcome them

CTOs may encounter internal resistance to investment in DevX from the board, particularly in relation to understanding how it impacts the bottom line. They may even get resistance from engineers who have worked within the business for many years. Their tools may be inefficient, but they are familiar. If an individual is not commercially minded, they may be resistant to short-term disruption to their established way of working, in the name of productivity.

The first step to embedding DevX is acknowledging it as part of your strategy - at both the board and engineering levels. Then, communicating the priorities around operational efficiency and productivity, educating on the advantages and encouraging internal debate.

DevX may also require a change in mindset, as #CTOs and senior engineers look at their teams as end users, and ask what can help them. Once you look through that lens, it’s easier to understand their

The good news is that there is no cost in terms of adding bodies or additional technology. However, it is hard to evaluate your own situation without external expertise, and without impacting short-term productivity of your team.

There will be a cost to bringing in a consultancy like Build Circle that specialises in this area, but the experience of embedding DevX across multiple companies, and the solutions an expert has found to a multitude of DevX challenges, will ensure you achieve a more accurate and successful solution.

Part of the Majar Group , Build Circle helps companies and CTOs unlock efficiency through areas such as DevX, from advising on the right tools and processes to creating them ourselves. We help CTOs make a case for the long-term benefit, and rather than asking engineers and CTOs to spend their time on DevX, we take away the problem and bring back the solution.?As an external partner, we can also upskill people more easily, providing the training needed to embed DevX expertise within the business so that tools and platforms stay relevant long into the future.?