We kicked off 2025 with a webinar series called It Has to Make Sense. The first session was on Delivering Software Faster with Marek Pikna and Ján Mlynár.
Why is it important to deliver software faster?
There are several reasons, but the most common one is gaining a competitive advantage. Having a great idea or reacting to market trends isn’t enough—speed to market is crucial. Companies that can’t quickly respond to customer needs risk losing clients to competitors. Speed can also be critical for regulatory reasons—sometimes, you need to meet legal requirements in a short timeframe to avoid losing your license.
Is there an ideal software development timeframe?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on the context and the type of product. For e-commerce projects, speed is often the top priority, while in regulated industries, strict testing is required, which slows things down.
But it’s worth asking: is faster always better? As Jano pointed out, delivering software quickly comes with trade-offs—higher costs or compromises in quality. The key is to find the right balance between speed and quality.
Why do companies often deliver software slowly?
The main blockers aren’t always technical. Jano highlighted that a lot of time can be saved on the business side. Many companies are simply not ready to handle fast changes—internal processes are inefficient, and teams are too fragmented. For example, change requests often have to go through multiple teams, each with their own priorities, causing delays.
Another issue is the lack of automation. When developers have to wait for the infrastructure team to set up databases or deployments require manual approvals, the entire process slows down significantly.
How can you speed up software delivery?
Jano shared several key strategies for reducing time-to-market effectively:
- One team, one product – Reducing dependencies between teams minimizes coordination overhead and speeds up development.
- Process automation – Self-service environments, automated testing, and deployment pipelines save a lot of time.
- Fewer unnecessary meetings – Many developers spend over 50% of their time in meetings instead of coding. Improving team organization and clarifying responsibilities can help.
- Minimizing technical dependencies – Developers should have access to standardized tools and infrastructure, allowing them to work quickly without waiting for approvals or environment setup.
- Better business management structure – Product management should be directly involved with the development team to enable faster decisions and quicker implementation of changes.
What are the quickest wins?
If you want to quickly improve software delivery speed, the best approach is to focus on automation and creating a self-service environment for developers. Self-service platforms like CodeNOW enable developers to work more efficiently without relying on other teams.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss specific solutions, feel free to reach out to us.