What Motivates—and Frustrates—Developers?
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What Motivates—and Frustrates—Developers?
Developers take pride in their craft, but they're frustrated by the inclination of managers to make decisions without understanding the IT components involved. -
Developers' Top Motivators
Pride in craftsmanship: 20%, Building something innovative: 17%, Opportunity for advancement: 14%, Salary and bonus: 13% -
Awareness Issue
Just 54% of the global developers surveyed said they fully understand their system's architecture, and only 5% believe their entire team understands it. -
Missing Criteria
Just 37% of these developers are graded on code quality. -
Minimal Consequences
47% said they would not face a job-related risk if they caused an IT outage due to poor quality code, or they'd "get a slap on the wrist." -
Where Developers Learn New Coding Tips
YouTube: 41%, Google+ Communities: 36%, Microsoft Virtual Academy: 32% -
Overlooked Resource
Only 19% of the developers surveyed go to their managers for advice about coding. -
Workplace Woes, Part I
61% said their biggest frustration with managers is that they make decisions without understanding the IT components involved. -
Workplace Woes, Part II
51% said they get most frustrated with managers over architectural issues. -
Peak Hours
48% said they are most productive between 8 a.m. and noon. -
Decision-Drivers
In assessing job opportunities, 48% said the salary and bonus offer is the most important consideration, while 43% cited the workplace location. -
Entrepreneurial Apathy
Only 9% of the developers surveyed believe that a startup would be an ideal workplace.
The prime motivators for developers, according to a recent survey from CAST, are pride in their craft and the ability to build something innovative, as well as compensation and career opportunities. Yet, the study, "2017 State of the Modern Developer," also reports that a majority of developers are aggravated by the inclination of managers to make key decisions without understanding the IT components involved. In addition, the report reveals that architecture issues have become a common management-caused frustration. On the other hand, the findings indicate that a lack of accountability with respect to developers' work may also cause problems, as few developers are evaluated on their code quality. And, if poor code quality leads to an IT outage, a significant number of developers face little or no job-related fallout. "Despite the regularity of IT outages caused by software, our survey findings indicate developers are not being held accountable for application stability," said Bill Curtis, senior vice president and chief scientist at CAST Research Labs, a division of CAST. "One takeaway for IT managers is clear: Elevate the importance of architectural and coding standards, and hold developers accountable for the quality of their code." An estimated 500 global developers took part in the research.