• Whilst remote working presents challenges to innovation and collaboration, there are effective techniques to address them
• Staff-Plus engineers bring value through far more than their technical skills
• Developer Experience can be measured and there are metrics that can be used to find small improvements that make a huge difference
• It is possible and practical to include climate impact as a quality attribute of a software product
• The use of AI tools, such as large language models, can enhance the work of good programmers but do not replace the need for human expertise and creativity

This report summarizes how the InfoQ Culture and Methods editorial team sees the ongoing and emergent trends in the culture and methods space.  We discuss evolving roles within teams, particularly the way staff plus roles can add value, the use, and misuse of DevEx metrics, how remote and asynchronous work continues to evolve, the fact that a lack of diversity is still a challenge in information technology, the slow pace of adoption of modern leadership approaches in many organizations and the need to move from climate change awareness to climate-conscious software engineering. Of course, we could not explore trends today without looking at the impact of AI and LLMs, but we looked at them from a risk and benefit perspective for the people involved in software engineering.

Source: InfoQ Culture & Methods Trends Report – April 2024