The State of Unplanned Work: Key Findings

In today's technology-driven business environment, developers play a crucial role in shaping customer experiences, but the prevalence of unplanned work, characterized by unexpected technology problems, is significantly hindering innovation and operational efficiency. A survey of over 500 executives, managers, and front-line responders highlights that almost all respondents face challenges like complex IT environments and talent retention, with more than half of companies learning about customer-impacting issues from the customers themselves. The rise in technology problems not only escalates costs, as downtime can be extremely expensive, but also contributes to responder burnout and cultural issues within companies. There is a stark difference between individual and organizational perceptions of acceptable levels of unplanned work, which often leads to retention issues. However, the adoption of thoughtful automation is shown to mitigate these problems, resulting in reduced unplanned work, higher employee retention, and improved work-life balance, ultimately fostering more mature and healthy company cultures.