70% of software projects fail to be delivered on-time, despite 83% of software engineers rating the importance of on-time completion as high or very high, according to new research from Haystack.

The research also found that the vast majority of business leaders consider on-time delivery of software as essential, but are concerned about it at work.

Research conducted by Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET and J.L. Partners on behalf of Haystack has also found that 77% of business decision-markers in the UK and 90% in the USA report on-time delivery as the main way they measure the performance of software engineering teams.

Despite this, 81% of business decision-makers in the UK and 89% in the USA are concerned about the on-time delivery of software projects in their organisations.

Further, while on-time delivery is of such importance, recent industry solutions have focussed on using surveys to measure developer experience and productivity.

However, research from November 2023 conducted by Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET has found a variety of failures in such approaches.

Quarterly surveys are not only too slow to address early signs of delay but research indicates software engineers are concerned to voice their true opinions.

Over half (59%) of software engineers said they did not speak out against unrealistic deadlines or expectations because they feared retaliation, and three in four (75%) who did speak up about something they’ve seen at work reported facing retaliation.

The research also shows that “those with the lowest programming skill” are most likely to be the most over-optimistic at evaluating software delivery performance in large projects.

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Further, about a third (31%) of software engineers felt their achievements at work were not well celebrated or only acknowledged to a small extent, fostering a negative environment.

All of these factors reveals a gap between engineers, project managers, and executives as far as realistic expectations on delivery.

This can result in burnout and a negative workplace environment at a time when over half of tech workers changed their job in the last year, according to research from CWJobs. Further, three in four tech workers are dissatisfied at their job, with 77% in the UK unhappy and searching for a new role.

Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET’s research pointed to the ineffective use of surveys to track work and delivery times, which could foster inequality, lead to increased biases, and exacerbate inflated expectations.

“Given the risks engineers face of retaliation, the fear of speaking up, alongside other cognitive biases that operate at a team/company level which we detect at a population-wide level, it is my recommendation that where software delivery performance is measured, it should be done objectively and empirically,” his report read.