Discover how Software Craftsmanship, and now the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), can transform your approach and generate tangible benefits.

Hidden costs due to poor quality code

A lack of visibility into source code quality frequently leads to prioritizing short-term gains at the expense of long-term maintainability and scalability. Neglecting technical warning signs can lead to growing technical debt, where once-quick tasks become laborious, hindering innovation. Poor quality code slows down development and undermines progress (1.). Research conducted by CodeScene (2.) indicates that improving code quality could lead to a 15-fold reduction in bugs, a doubling of development speed, and nine times less uncertainty regarding completion times. The commercial advantage of healthy code is therefore proven. Furthermore, the study reveals that 23% to 42% of developer time is wasted due to technical debt and poor code.

The New Challenges of AI

The growing adoption of AI in software development brings new dynamics. While AI can boost individual productivity, the DORA 2024 report (3.) reveals that its overall impact on software delivery performance is negative. Notably, a decrease in delivery stability is observed. Furthermore, despite a perceived improvement in code quality thanks to AI, this does not necessarily translate into an improvement in overall delivery performance. The report suggests that the increased amount of code produced by AI could lead to larger changes, which traditionally makes deliveries slower and more prone to instability.

Investing in Software Craftsmanship and an Enlightened AI Strategy for Sustainable ROI

According to Stack Overflow’s 2024 Developer Survey, 63% of professional developers reported currently using AI in their development process. An additional 14% plan to do so soon. Developers seem to view AI as a way to write more code, faster (11.).

The code quality impact 'calculator,' combined with the principles of Software Craftsmanship, good development practices, and a strategic and measured integration of AI, offers a concrete approach to evaluate and improve developer productivity and reduce development costs (2.). By understanding the costs of technical debt and adopting a culture of technical excellence, while cautiously navigating AI adoption, companies can transform code quality and artificial intelligence into genuine competitive advantages (1.).

It is essential to measure the real impact of AI across the entire development lifecycle, not just at the individual level, to maximize its benefits and mitigate its potential negative effects on delivery stability and performance (3.). Investing in Software Craftsmanship and a thoughtful AI integration strategy is not just a technical endeavor but a wise business strategy for sustainable success (2.).

*SOURCES : 

1. Rapport Codescene - https://codescene.com/blog/evaluate-code-quality-at-scale/7
2. Rapport Codescene - Business-impact-of-code-quality.pdf
3. Rapport DORA -  https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/2024_final_dora_report.pdf
4. Source ScienceDirect - Software developer productivity loss due to technical debt—A replication and extension study examining developers’ development work
5. Source ENHANCING DEVELOPER PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH AUTOMATED CI_CD PIPELINES_ A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS.pdf
6. Source Intelligent-DevOps-Harnessing-Artificial-Intelligence-to-Revolutionize-CI-CD-Pipelines-and-Optimize-Software-Delivery-Lifecycles.pdf
7. Source Impact-of-Automation-on-Quality-Assurance-Testing-A-Comparative-Analysis-of-Manual-vs-Automated-QA-Processes.pdf

8. Article Agilealliance https://www.agilealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Michele-Brissoni-Behavioral-Engineering-at-the-Software-Craftsmanship-Dojo-A-14-year-Adventure-Empowering-Over-15000-Developers.pdf
9. Le rapport DORA 2024 "Accelerate State of DevOps" 
10. article de McKinsey intitulé "Developer Velocity: How software excellence fuels business performance"
11. Rapport GitClear 2025 https://gitclear-public.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/GitClear-AI-Copilot-Code-Quality-2025.pdf
12. Rapport Snyk https://snyk.io/fr/blog/copilot-amplifies-insecure-codebases-by-replicating-vulnerabilities/