How to Speed Up Software Development

Speed matters in software. According to Google's 2023 State of DevOps report, elite DevOps teams release code 973 times more often than low-performing teams, and they still keep failure rates close to zero. Faster releases mean bugs are smaller, fixes ship sooner, and customers stay happier. One big reason teams can now move so quickly is the rise of low-code and automation.

Forrester notes that low-code platforms can make delivery up to ten times faster than traditional coding, and 87% of enterprise developers already use these tools for at least some tasks.

In the pages that follow, we'll look at practical ways CI/CD, low-code, AI helpers, and smarter processes, to trim weeks or even months off your next release cycle while keeping quality high.

How to Speed Up Software Development

Below are the steps on how to speed up software development​:

Step 1: Automate Your Pipeline (CI/CD)

Modern teams that wire tests, builds, and deploys into an automatic pipeline move far faster than those that push code by hand. A GitLab-backed survey shows 60% of companies with CI/CD now release code twice as fast as before.

Start small, pick one branch, add unit-test and lint steps, then auto-deploy to a staging site. Grow the flow once everyone trusts the green tick.

Example: After wiring GitHub Actions to auto-run tests and push Docker images, a small SaaS firm cut release time from two weeks to two hours.

Here's how speed scales across performance tiers (DORA benchmarks):

Source: Google State of DevOps

Step 2: Use Low-Code for Non-Core Features

Low-code builders let you drag-and-drop UIs or workflows instead of writing every line.

Forrester found 87 % of enterprise developers already use low-code, and its studies say delivery can be "up to 10x faster" than classic coding.

Put it where risk is low, admin dashboards, simple data entry apps so engineers stay focused on the core product.

Example: A bank used low-code to build a KYC portal in four weeks, previous attempts had taken four months.

Step 3: Pair with AI Coding Assistants

Generative-AI tools (GitHub Copilot, Replit AI) now cut routine coding steps. An MIT-GitHub study found AI pair programmers trim programming time by 56%.

Start by letting AI draft test cases or boilerplate; developers still review and polish final code. Keep prompt style guides so output stays consistent.

Example: A startup let Copilot write unit-test scaffolds; review time dropped from 40 minutes to 15 minutes per module.

Step 4: Shift Security Left with DevSecOps

Security checks run earlier mean fewer late-stage blockers. Today 36% of orgs built with DevSecOps, up from 27% in 2020 and surveys link the switch to quicker, safer releases.

Integrate SAST/DAST scans in pull-request pipelines; fail fast on critical findings.

Example: After adding automated license checks, an e-commerce team stopped a last-minute release block that would have cost a full sprint.

Step 5: Break Up the Monolith & Use Feature Flags

Large, tangled codebases slow everyone down. Split high-change areas into services you can deploy alone. Then wrap new code in feature flags so release ≠ launch, turn features on when ready.

Google's DORA report notes elite teams deploy code 973x more often than low performers, helped by small, safe deployments.

Example: A media app carved its image-processing job into its own service, flagging the API switch; deploys jumped from weekly to hourly without user risk.

Step 6: Streamline Code Reviews & Platform Engineering

Long PR queues add days of idle time. Keep pull requests small (≤ 400 lines) and set a 24-hour review SLA.

Mature orgs also build an internal developer portal so teams self-serve environments, logs, and docs.

Example: After launching an internal portal with "Spin-up QA" buttons, a fintech reduced environment wait time from three days to 30 minutes.

Step 7: Measure, Then Improve (DORA + Custom KPIs)

Track deployment frequency, lead-time, failure rate, and MTTR weekly. Correlate changes, like adding AI tests, to metric shifts so you know what really speeds you up. Elite teams use dashboards to spot slow spots early.

CI/CD automation, low-code bursts, AI helpers, early security, micro-deploys, and a data-driven culture together create a compounding effect, weeks shrink to days without sacrificing quality.

Example: One quarter after adopting DORA dashboards, a healthcare company saw lead-time fall from 14 days to under two, while change-failure stayed below 10 %.

Conclusion

You can move faster without breaking your software. Think of speed like a relay race. Each leg, coding, testing, reviewing, releasing, must hand off smoothly. CI/CD pipelines act as the baton pass, low-code and AI trim coding time, and DevSecOps scans catch problems before the hand-off stalls.

Add in feature flags and quick rollbacks, and you release tiny updates safely. Over time, these small wins stack up, shrinking weeks into days while quality stays high.

Speed Up Software Development with AiDOOS

AiDOOS's Virtual Delivery Center gives you a "ready-made" pipeline: CI/CD automation, built-in DevSecOps scans, and one shared developer portal come pre-configured, so teams can push code the same day they join.

You also get access to low-code modules and AI pair-programming helpers that AiDOOS has vetted, ideal for fast-tracking dashboards, forms, or test cases without bogging senior engineers down in boilerplate.

Progress is tracked on a live dashboard that shows DORA metrics like deploy frequency and lead-time. If a pull request stalls, the platform pings reviewers; if security scans fail, the build stops automatically. Feature flags and one-click rollbacks let you ship small, safe updates, exactly the habits elite teams use, while outcome-based billing means you only pay when each milestone is delivered.

The result: shorter cycles, fewer surprises, and more time for your team to focus on core features.

Schedule A Meeting To Setup VDC

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I speed up software development without sacrificing quality?

You can speed up software development without sacrificing quality by automating your tests and builds, break work into small pieces, and review code quickly.

Early security scans and feature flags let you catch issues sooner and release them safely.

2. What causes delays in software development projects?

Things that cause delays in software development projects are big pull-requests, long review queues, manual testing, and unclear requirements are common culprits.

3. How does agile help speed up software projects?

Agile helps speed up software projects by splitting work into short sprints, sets clear goals, and gives fast feedback.

Teams adjust every 1-2 weeks, so problems surface early instead of months later.

4. Is outsourcing a good way to speed up software development?

Yes, outsourcing is a good way to speed up software development. If you choose a partner with proven processes, CI/CD tooling, and clear milestones.

Outsourcing adds skill and bandwidth, but you still need strong specs and tight feedback loops

5. How does AiDOOS help speed up software execution?

AiDOOS provides a ready-made Virtual Delivery Center with CI/CD, DevSecOps scans, and AI coding aids already in place.

You pay for completed milestones, so the focus stays on shipping fast, high-quality code.