DORA 2025 Research Identifies Team Profiles and Capabilities for AI-Assisted Software Development

DORA's AI Research Findings

Nathen Harvey presented DORA's 2025 research on AI in software development at QCon London. The research provides insights into team profiles and success capabilities for integrating AI into practice.

DORA's research extends beyond technology to include team dynamics and business impact, utilizing surveys augmented with qualitative research. The 2025 State of AI-Assisted Software Development reports were published based on this research.

AI as an Amplifier

Harvey explained that AI primarily functions as an amplifier in software development. He stated that the most significant returns on AI investments come from a strategic focus on the underlying organizational system.

Without a strong organizational foundation, AI tends to create localized productivity gains that can be lost due to downstream inefficiencies.

Identified Team Profiles

The research identified seven unique team profiles based on factors like performance, effectiveness, friction, and burnout. These profiles include "Foundational challenges," "The legacy bottleneck," "Constrained by process," "High impact, low cadence," "Stable and methodical," "Pragmatic performers," and "Harmonious high-achievers."

For example, the "constrained by process" profile showed high burnout and friction, low individual effectiveness, and low time spent on valuable work, despite good software delivery stability.

Key Capabilities for AI Adoption

The research also identified seven capabilities that, when combined with AI adoption, lead to improved outcomes. These capabilities are: a clear and communicated AI stance, healthy data ecosystems, AI-accessible internal data, strong version control practices, working in small batches, a user-centric focus, and quality internal platforms.

Harvey emphasized that software is created for humans, and the objective is to solve problems.