Definition
DevAug stands for Development Augmentation, it is a methodology of using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance software development. Taking advantage of AI in the development life cycle can help scale productivity, decrease development time and costs, plus help eliminate human error factors.
The mission of DevAug is to identify and highlight co-development tools powered by AI to assist developers in creating great software.
According to a projection by Gartner, “Application development teams will augment their work with artificially intelligent co-developers.” The study further says, “We predict that, by 2022, at least 40% of new application development projects will have an AI-powered ‘virtual developer’ on their team.”
The future of software development will shift towards efficiency as testing will be integrated into all aspects of the development life cycle that it will no longer require manual testing- it will be fully automated with AI.
How DevAug Affects the Development Team
Creating Code
With development augmentation, developers will spend less time debugging and more time developing new features.
DevAug makes code suggestions with built-in code suggestions. Furthermore, once AI has learned the business logic enough, it can generate sections of code on the developer’s behalf.
The technology automatically debugs code, by learning the software and finding bugs in the lines of codes.
It also converts Business Logic directly into code- completely disrupting how humans interpret deliverables into coded language by better understanding business logic and transforming it into code.
Recommending feature additions can be achieved by leveling machine learning and evaluating big data can allow the AI to suggest new features sets.
Testing Code
Continuous testing of code with artificial intelligence automation is standard. Gone are the days of testing only in a dedicated QA silo for a shift in testing throughout every stage of development. We rid the reliance on manual testing, this method will only be reserved for exploratory testing.
DevAug executes the code, going beyond simple code checks and allowing AI to fully execute coding scripts.
Therefore unit testing will no longer be a principle but a standard automatically checking to ensure small units of code are bug free.
And integration testing ensures outside dependencies are compliant as well. All done automagically with AI.
Finally, it validates code in user stories and workflow functionality.
User Experience
The aim for both the business and end users is to gain a significant boost in the user experience.
DevAug implements user testing immediately. Instant feedback with corrective actions shifts the landscape for DevAug developers.
Customer requests are reported to the Product and Development teams with AI-built hotfixes ready to deliver. The speed at which AI can decipher priorities in user submitted requests is uncanny.
Restructuring
DevAug can lead to reshaping business structures. It allows for trimming the fat while maximizing productivity.
DevAug creates scalable engineering teams. Finding good development talent can be tough. Companies big and small need effective developers to provide a quality product for their clients, but it's often difficult to source these talents locally. When companies bring in outsourced employees for roles they're not accustomed to, they work at lower capacity than they would had they been hired locally. That missing performance gap is usually made up voluntarily by other team members or through added controls on the part of management that force everyone into less productive methods.
DevAug introduces the notion of the smallest possible team yet with the most effective output. This is done by scaling with AI. Traditionally, computers can't do creative and innovative tasks but it does what humans cannot excel in; executing large amounts of repetitive tasks accurately.
Recruiting and managing new talent in a DevAug workflow becomes easier- and can be compounded.
Roles and responsibilities can merge to be more hybrid. For example, Head of Engineering and Product Owner roles can integrate seamlessly. Senior Developer and Business Analyst roles can unite. Developers and QA can join forces. Cross functional teams will be more effective than siloed groups.
By reducing overhead ultimately means fewer employees. This translates into smaller budgets for salaries and benefits to pay. For startups attracting top talent, this would mean less equity dilution (or more effective equity sharing.) Moreover, lowering capital and operating expenditures are benefits any CEO and CFO will appreciate.
