Haystack Introduces Solution to End Chronic Software Delays Worrying 89% of US Business Leaders

• 70% of software projects fail to be delivered on time according to scientific research despite 83% of developers saying delivery performance is important.
• 90% of US business leaders report on-time delivery as the key factor in evaluating software engineering performance and 89% are concerned with on-time delivery of software projects in their organisations.
• Haystack launches its Software Delivery Ops Platform to help deliver high-quality software, on-time, after collecting insights from thousands of engineering teams.

San Francisco & London; 14 December 2023 - Research has found that 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.¹

Haystack today announces the launch of its Software Delivery Ops Platform, to help deliver high-quality software, on-time.

New research has also found 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-makers 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.²

Through analysing millions of data points, Haystack has identified the most critical risks impacting on-time delivery. This allows any software team to identify early signs of delay before they impact on-time delivery.

Julian Colina, CEO of Haystack commented: “Most software projects miss their deadlines, stalling growth and eroding trust. Haystack tackles this widespread issue. Our Software Delivery Ops platform transforms data into decisive actions, turning the tide on the 70% project delay rate. With Haystack, teams consistently meet deadlines, fuel business success, and redefine the standards of software delivery.”

Haystack’s Software Delivery Ops Platform provides a suite of tools designed to keep software delivery on-track. Haystack identifies early warning signs of delay at any point in the delivery process while alerting teams to risks or bottlenecks that appear along the way.

Despite on-time delivery being so important, recent industry solutions have focussed on using surveys to measure developer experience and “productivity”. However, November 2023 research 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 and research shows “those with the lowest programming skill” are most likely to be most over-optimistic at evaluating software delivery performance in large projects.¹

Instead, Haystack’s Software Delivery Ops platform integrates directly into developer tools like Git and Jira - highlighting signs of delay in real-time without needing to wait for the results of time-consuming surveys and without the biases that subjective surveys suffer from.

Kan Yilmaz, CTO of Haystack added: “Haystack is transforming the way software is delivered. We use powerful insights to shatter the chronic cycle of delayed software delivery. Our platform is not just a product, it's a manifesto for change, ensuring engineering teams can commit with confidence and deliver with dignity. It's time we change the narrative from why projects are late to how they're launched successfully - on time, every time.”

Ends

¹ Research summarised in a letter by Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET, “R.e. Predictability in Software Engineering”.

² Research of 500 US and UK business decision makers conducted by J.L. Partners, commissioned by Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET for Haystack. Fieldwork was conducted from 28^th to 29^th November 2023. J.L. Partners is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Research reported in a letter by Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET, “R.e. Predictability in Software Engineering”.

Note to Editors

For further information please contact the Haystack press office: Bilal Mahmood on press@usehaystack.io or  +44 (0) 771 400 7257.

About Haystack

Haystack, the world’s first Software Delivery Ops Platform, helps software teams deliver high-quality software, on-time. Haystack was founded in 2020 by Julian Colina and Kan Yilmaz and helps to identify early signs of delay in software teams. Haystack is backed by Founders Club, Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Entrepreneur First and investors Dan Siroker and Blaine Vess.

To explore Haystack, please visit: www.usehaystack.io or follow us on LinkedIn or X.