Software development can be messy and complex; this talk will describe how an effective software development culture provides a crucial safety net that helps teams to meet design and engineering goals effectively. Drawing on several decades of empirical studies of software development in industry, this talk will summarise key characteristics of the software development culture that distinguishes high-performing teams. It will make the case that an effective culture (one that embeds and reinforces key values and a design mindset) allows such teams to make effective use of tools (including notations) and methods, to develop both individual and team knowledge and skill, and to better deliver software that is fit for purpose.

Marian Petre ‘picks the brains’ of expert software developers to understand what makes them expert. She has spent decades studying how they reason and communicate about design and problem solving. Her research is grounded in empirical studies of professionals in industry and draws on cognitive and social theory. By observing, talking to, and working with hundreds of professional software developers in organisations ranging from start-ups to the world’s major software companies, she exposes actionable insights into the thinking that distinguishes high-performing teams. Petre is an Emeritus Professor at the Open University (UK) and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at University of California, Irvine. Her most recent book is “Software Design Decoded” (MIT Press), and she received a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in recognition of her work.