Thoughtworks Technology Radar Delves Into Gen AI as Catalyst for Software Development Process and Productivity

Thoughtworks a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering, released Volume 29 of the Technology Radar, a biannual report informed by Thoughtworks’ observations, conversations and frontline experiences solving its clients’ most complex business challenges. While generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is often posited as a useful tool to make developers more productive, a major theme in the report is what developer productivity really means and how it can be effectively measured.

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Far from replacing software developers, Thoughtworks has found that GenAI can provide support across many different facets of the software delivery process. With tooling here maturing, reflected in a number of related tools in this edition of the Radar moving from “Assess” to “Trial”, there are a wealth of opportunities for organizations to explore. However, as with previous advances in tech — cloud, continuous delivery, IoT — focus is recommended on the responsible application of generative AI and the way it is integrated into processes across the enterprise.

“Generative AI is reshaping all kinds of knowledge work, including creating and delivering software solutions faster, better and at lower cost with AI-driven tools and techniques,” said Rachel Laycock, Chief Technology Officer, Thoughtworks. “This game-changing technology offers our clients the opportunity to revolutionize their internal operations, allowing for greater overall efficiency, innovation at scale and the delivery of extraordinary impact to their customers.”

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Highlighted themes in Technology Radar Vol. 29 include:

• AI-assisted software development: Tools such as Github Copilot, Codeium and Tabnine are set to have an impact on the way software developers think about writing code. However, one key point of consideration is how AI can be used for tasks beyond coding, such as writing user stories.
• How productive is measuring productivity? Measuring productivity in the sphere of software development isn’t a new concern (Thoughtworks Chief Scientist Martin Fowler wrote about it 20 years ago). A number of tools, such as DX DevEX 360, aim to improve the developer experience and point the way forward for supporting developer productivity.
• A large number of LLMs: While the space is largely defined by the contributions of a handful of key players — OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Meta’s LLaMA — of particular interest are trends such as self-hosted LLMs and LLM-powered autonomous agents which point towards greater customization and control over what can be done with GenAI.
• Remote delivery workarounds mature: It’s clear that remote ways of working are now here to stay. Fortunately, we’ve seen a number of tools and techniques — such as remote event storming — that suggest we’re beginning to see more maturity and stability as teams get used to working in a remote or hybrid manner.

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