If you really want to improve developer productivity, apply AI where it counts

We have all heard that AI is a game-changer for efficiency and innovation – and the data backs that up: 32% of UK businesses see it deliver innovation, 30% see it reduce operational costs, and 31% see it make better decisions.

But that doesn’t paint the full picture. Recent research reveals an unexpected irony: the 10+ hours a week developers save through AI is actually being offset by time lost to organisational bottlenecks.

Business inefficiencies such as difficulty finding information and misalignment between leadership and teams has long plagued businesses across sectors. Developers, in particular, feel the impact, reporting that they lose at least six hours each week dealing with these obstacles.

It’s also clear that not all leaders understand the persistent challenges that developers are facing. For example, the idea that developers primarily need AI to assist with coding. While this is helpful, coding itself only accounts for a fraction (16%) of developers’ time. In fact, the real opportunity for AI lies in fixing fragmented workflows and cutting down the time wasted searching for information.

For leaders to understand the real challenges developers face, open communication is essential. Without it, the benefits of even the most advanced technology won’t be realised. Only by tackling challenges such as unclear direction, frequent context switching, and poor cross-team collaboration can leaders properly target root causes. Overcoming these friction points will enable organisations to boost developer productivity and their overall workplace experience.

Bridging the communication barrier between leadership and developers

Misalignment between leadership teams and developers is hampering productivity. Our research found that the majority of developers (68%) feel that their leadership teams don’t fully understand the challenges they face.

This lack of understanding means companies are investing time and budget into areas that don’t address friction points or improve team productivity. Closing that gap begins with better communication.

Leaders need to look beyond productivity metrics and engage directly with teams to uncover the real friction points they experience. Likewise, developers can help by framing their challenges in terms of business impact, so leaders have a better understanding of where to prioritise solutions.

When leaders and developers align on the real sources of inefficiency, AI and other tools can be targeted toward the work that really slows teams down, rather than just the parts that are easiest to automate.

Removing inefficiencies with smarter action

Once communication is open and leaders understand where developers are really losing time, businesses can work on prioritising the resolution of identified friction points. This might include addressing fragmented workflows, improving documentation, and information discovery. AI can play a powerful role here, but it’s not a magic wand.

A deep understanding of friction points and problems makes it easier to identify where productivity gains can be made with AI, or another more suitable solution.

Documentation is frequently highlighted by developers as a source of friction, making it a compelling area to explore further. Effective documentation helps teams quickly find the information they need, allowing them to work faster with fewer unnecessary interactions with other teams. AI can help by writing some of the documentation, automatically organising content, improving tone, and adding helpful context for better clarity. The payoff is significant; teams with easy access to self-serve information are 4.4 x more productive.

A practical way for leaders to amplify AI’s impact is to showcase examples of teams that have successfully used AI to work smarter, creating insights that others can replicate across the organisation.

Finally, productivity improvements won’t stick without continuous feedback loops. Regular retrospectives, surveys, and skip-level meetings ensure leaders stay connected to the realities of developer work, spot emerging bottlenecks early, and keep the momentum going.

Paving the way for lasting success

Developers want to do what they do best – build great software to address customer challenges. Leaders want to do what they can to problem-solve and ensure the business runs as efficiently as it can. When communication flows both ways, regularly and with intent, teams can surface issues early, build trust, and stay aligned on what matters most.