Top Software Engineering Trends to Watch in 2024: Tech, Programming, and Development Insights

According to public data, by the end of the first quarter of 2024, spending on enterprise software was experiencing one of the highest growth rates in the technology industry. This figure has reached a fantastic 880 billion dollars, far from the limit.

Software development, like any field, absorbs all the new products on the market like a sponge and transforms them into business opportunities. The main reason for such rapid adaptation is the constant desire of businesses to optimize resources and reduce costs. In this article, we will trace the current situation in the Software Engineering and Development market and also reveal the main approaches and trends that you can implement in your work this year to gain a competitive advantage.

Software Engineering and Development Market Overview

In 2023, the software engineering market was valued at $142.1 billion, with a projected average growth of 6.5% annually until 2032. This is influenced by the digitization of existing services and the development of completely new solutions.

Software solutions today have an enormous weight, completely changing the sphere and applying certain patterns to each. Today, AR and VR are no longer the property of the automotive industry but are perfectly implemented in e-commerce and real estate. Software like CAD (Computer-Aided Design), PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), and PDM (Product Data Management) has been occupying a significant part of the market for several years now, helping various domains with corporate tasks.

The market experienced a major boost with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this trend continues today without any significant jumps. The pandemic has shown the need for technology and innovation, so growth continues, albeit without sudden leaps. Increasing use of SaaS-based cloud design software is helping to expand the market. Thus, according to the PTC CAD Software Trends 2023 study, more than 50% of the expenses of all companies will be accounted for by SaaS-based applications. Engineering software solutions enable engineers, designers, and manufacturers to develop detailed models, analyze and simulate product performance and operation, and create critical engineering documents. We will tell you how the market is predicted to develop further.

Which Business Requests Can Be Solved With Software Engineering

Software development can be useful for a wide range of business needs. One of the main requests is to increase business efficiency, which, in turn, enhances customer satisfaction and provides a competitive edge. By leveraging custom software solutions, businesses can streamline their operations, reduce costs, and improve productivity.
Let's consider the main aspects and advantages.

1. Automation. Almost everything can be automated, and the whole team will benefit from this, which will spend on more important tasks. Even implementing a CRM can save significant resources.

2. Data management and analytics. Every business has a huge amount of data, both internal and external. Data processing allows you to analyze advantages and disadvantages and is constantly improving. Develop analytics software and dashboards that use machine learning algorithms to provide predictive analytics and business intelligence.

3. Improving interaction with clients. Proper CRM setup will allow you to work efficiently with customer requests and information about them, respond promptly, and monitor dynamics.

4. Enterprise resource planning (ERP). By pooling resources in one place, you can create your ecosystem, and your business can operate as a single organism. Examples of such systems are the products of giants such as SAP, Oracle ERP, and Microsoft Dynamics.

5. Cyber ​​security. Using customization in security tools, you can achieve not only reputational but also commercial success.

6. Supply chain management. This aspect can often be associated with ERP as it is also based on integrating tools for the common good. Automation at this level will enable real-time tracking, inventory management, demand forecasting, and supplier management.

7. Scalability and performance optimization. Today's cloud services allow you to make your architecture more flexible and scalable without investing additional funds.
   Thus, software engineering can help not only solve current problems but also help with the game for a long time, distributing the load and resources.

How To Develop Proper Software Engineering Methodology

First, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the project in all its aspects. All teams must interact well and understand the basic goals. Any chosen methodology can be customized based on your needs and desires.

What to consider when choosing a methodology:

• goals, scope of work and scope: use numbers and competitor analysis, do not rely on approximate or desired data;
• analyze methodologies: the chosen methodology should not be successful for competitors, it should correspond to the complexity, timing and flexibility requirements of your project;
• planning should be step-by-step: for example, requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, maintenance, with a clear vision of each stage;
• distribute roles immediately: each project participant should have their own role and a clear list of responsibilities;
• define standards: the team must see and understand what constitutes a standardized approach in everything from documentation to the tools used;
• the need for feedback and analytics: introduce mandatory reviews and collection of analytics for better project performance and its continuous improvement.

It is important to note that following methodologies in software development is an integral part of successful product implementation. Having a proven approach to solving problems and overcoming problems, it is possible to obtain a predictable result and provide guarantees to clients, which affects not only professionalism but also the reputational component.

Software Development Trends 2024

Our experts analyzed a large pool of technology companies of different sizes and directions. This made it possible to understand the main trends towards which businesses are inclined when choosing the technologies they use to achieve their goals.

1. Emphasis on design thinking
   The main focus of this concept is the user's needs, around which all further work is built. No matter how advanced tools and services are used from the technical side, all this will only find its user with high-quality design and an intuitive interface. The ability to achieve synergy between a business task, user needs, and technical background makes a software engineer a good performer and a precious specialist.

2. Use of cybersecurity tools
   The more technology develops, the more actively the hacker community develops. There are a huge number of cyber threats, each with its own goals. It is necessary to protect your product at all levels, paying great attention to this issue. In addition to your product's integrity and reputation, your customer's sensitive information is also at stake. That's why putting the utmost care and attention into your search for a cybersecurity or DevSecOps specialist is essential.

3. Artificial intelligence for business
   Quite a few people still perceive AI as entertainment without fully understanding its true potential and capabilities. The gradual introduction of AI at all product levels will significantly accelerate its development and scaling and significantly improve the user experience.

4. The sustainable software
   The principles of sustainable programming are gaining more and more momentum due to the trending attitude towards nature conservation. More and more companies are trying to abandon storage devices, moving everything to the cloud, attracting experience from related fields, and focusing on environmentally friendly solutions. Attentive attention to the issue of ecology can also add points to you in the eyes of the end consumer.

5. Internet of Things
   If earlier, this technology was only relevant to some areas, such as smart homes or various kinds of assistants, today, IoT finds its application almost everywhere. Process and search optimization make this technology a threat to “traditional” approaches to application development and eliminate human intervention, for example, at some levels of production. For example, computers can independently distribute the load; connected to the same network, they can independently balance it.

6. Development using low-code/no-code
   Low-code No-code is gaining business interest because it does not require any knowledge when developing software. You can create an application using visual effects and matching the solution you need as a designer. Developers can be an expensive proposition for a business that is just growing, which highlights the benefits of this approach.

7. New languages ​​in the company stack
   The era when businesses were afraid to try something new and used the same stack for a long time is almost over. Already, everyone is predicting the incredible rise of Rust, and the investments in its development by giants like Microsoft and Amazon only strengthen the opinion that a language that is concise and secure will be a stunning success.

8. The popularity of native applications is stable
   Mobile applications retain relevance, and there are more and more of them. Correct operation can only be ensured by native solutions. Therefore, our experts think their emphasis will remain not only this year but also probably in the future.

9. The era of progressive web applications continues
   The benefits of PWA are difficult to overestimate because for a smaller amount of money, you get an optimized interface, savings, and good interaction with the end user. Working on almost all platforms, PWA can help solve urgent problems without significant investment.

10. Escalation of edge computing
    This point has a lot to do with the Internet of Things because peripheral devices can help collect data about equipment and process it nearby, sending only the relevant information back to the head office. Despite the high list of requirements to ensure the operation of such technology, IoT companies are increasingly resorting to the use of peripheral devices.

11. Growing use of blockchain
    Last but not least is blockchain, which is less associated exclusively with cryptocurrency but is increasingly becoming synonymous with security and privacy in data transmission. In 2024, the potential for its use is expected to increase, including on smart contract platforms.

Forecasts For Software Engineering

Today, Software Engineering is developing by leaps and bounds, and the variety of trends only emphasizes that the border between traditional science fiction and modern technologies is gradually blurring. Based on Unitecode's internal statistics, we can say that business has become bolder and more technologically savvy. If earlier we were more faced with the fact that businesses came exclusively with a business vision and goals, today we can increasingly come across a specific technical request. The ubiquity of the same artificial intelligence and various LCNC tools that allow you to try creating something completely new from scratch shows the potential and strength of the world of technology.

The vision of the developers themselves is also changing; they work not only within the framework of their stack and/or programming language but also have the opportunity to find alternative solutions to their problems, optimizing and automating huge parts of the work. The advancement of industries and the desire of customers to see new creative approaches encourage developers to abandon less effective technologies and study (and sometimes invent) new things. We are confident that most of the trends on the list will find their place in the next year since almost all of them have not yet fully revealed their potential and can often work in synergy, opening up even more innovative ways to achieve goals.

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