Published: April 2026 Global Software Engineering Trends Survey
Overview
IPA publishes reports on international trends to help review development practices in Japan’s software industry against global developments. In April 2024, it surveyed international trends, focusing on research institutions in Europe and the United States; in October of that year, it examined four topics identified as stagnant. In April 2026, starting from challenges in domestic software use, it studied structures that support customer value creation in the AI era from three perspectives. The committee concluded its activities in March 2026, and IPA plans further detailed research into international trends and initiatives to transform software engineering in Japan.
Key points
- The April 2026 survey focused on organizational design, skills frameworks and workforce development, and development process transformation.
- In October 2024, the survey examined planning methods, value assessment, model-based development, and building blocks.
- In April 2024, the survey covered CMU-SEI, INRIA, and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
Overview
IPA says that practices such as full scratch development, person-month-based estimates, and document-based design remain common in Japan, and that a fundamental review of software engineering is needed to maintain Japan’s competitiveness.
IPA conducted its review through the Software Modernization Committee, taking domestic conditions and international trends into account; the committee concluded its activities in March 2026.
Impact
IPA publishes survey reports for people who have few opportunities to regularly learn about developments overseas.
IPA plans to continue detailed research into international trends and initiatives to transform software engineering in Japan.
Details
The April 2026 survey began with five challenges in domestic software use and examined overseas research institutions, academic conferences, professional communities, and others from three perspectives to clarify the structures that support customer value creation in the AI era. It conducted literature and web research on papers, survey reports, case studies, practical articles, and other materials.
In October 2024, IPA examined four topics judged to be stagnant based on results from the “FY2023 Questionnaire Survey on Software Development,” using literature and web research as well as interviews.
In April 2024, IPA conducted literature research and interviews, focusing on leading research institutions in Europe and the United States. The Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (CMU-SEI) was covered through literature research, while the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft were covered through both literature research and interviews.