May 23, 2023 2:00 AM

AppMap: A map to reduce developer toil

Open-source AppMap brings runtime code analysis into the developer’s code editor, providing the feedback needed to address performance and security issues during development and reduce code rework.

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Software developers are the engine of growth and innovation that powers the products on which everyone relies. Developers are a company’s most valuable resource. The demand for software engineers worldwide will rise by 22% between 2020 and 2030, even with recent cutbacks. Yet there remains a tremendous squandering of this precious resource.

Wasted developer time and effort, which includes inefficient processes and code rework, is often referred to as “developer toil.” According to Stripe, developers spend up to half their work week in toil, with some estimates as high as 80%. Toil costs businesses over $85 billion per year in wasted developer effort.

Companies are struggling to catch on to the problem in their engineering teams, and many have yet to act on it, but the impact of excessive developer toil is evident in staff retention rates. Toil is incredibly frustrating to developers. Over 70% of developers report that cycles of rework make them unhappy and result in seeking other employment opportunities. Professional frustration contributes to an unprecedented average turnover rate among developers of 57.3%, according to the 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. And while there have been recent layoffs in technology companies, the demand for developers remains high.