In the last few years, AI-driven code assist tools surged into the market, offering the promise of stronger code and improved developer productivity. 

GitHub Copilot was among the first AI code assist tools to enter the market — promising to accelerate development cycles, enhance code quality, and help developers rediscover the joy of coding.

While Copilot has proven to be a game-changer for many organizations, the journey to adoption can sometimes present challenges. Some developers may initially be skeptical about its impact, and organizations' leaders may find it difficult to gather the data that fully demonstrates Copilot’s positive outcomes.

Fortunately, there are effective strategies your organization can implement to make the adoption process smoother and more successful. 

Who is likely to reject AI code assist tools? 

When rolling out Copilot at scale, it helps to understand the concerns of those who may resist the move to AI-assisted coding. While every organization is different, we’ve found certain groups tend to be more wary of Copilot than others, specifically: 

• Senior developers and engineers concerned about automation
• Business leaders, who may need more clarity on how the technology fits within the organization. 

Let’s examine each in more depth.

The skeptical senior engineer

Copilot was designed with developers in mind, aiming to make their work easier, faster, and more enjoyable — as Microsoft puts it, “to bring back the joy of coding.”

It delivers on those promises in a few key ways: 

• By handling repetitive tasks, Copilot reduces the cognitive load on developers, allowing them to remain in a creative flow for longer and focus on more satisfying tasks and higher-level problems.
• Copilot speeds up coding by suggesting code completions as well as code suggestions. 
• Copilot aids in expanding developers’ skill sets by helping them learn new languages, coding patterns, and best practices.

But not all programmers have received it with open arms. Senior engineers, in particular, tend to approach Copilot and other code-assist tools with caution for multiple reasons:

• Lack of Context: AI may generate code without fully understanding the context of the codebase, leading to integration issues and conflicts that require additional troubleshooting.
• Potential for Introducing Bugs: Even well-generated AI code can introduce hidden bugs that only experienced developers can catch, often surfacing later and requiring extra time to fix.
• Debugging Challenges: AI-generated code can be hard to debug since the logic behind the code may be hard to understand, causing them to spend more time deciphering the code than fixing the actual issue.

That said, senior developers recognize that AI tools have potential as a valuable tool in their workflow but it’s not a replacement. By automating repetitive tasks, Copilot frees up time for more strategic work, allowing developers to focus on high-level problem-solving, ultimately enhancing productivity and enabling them to do their best work.

The Cautious Business Leader

Widespread Copilot adoption is a win for the C-suite and development teams. It aligns with organizational goals by: 

• Boosting productivity: By providing code suggestions and automating repetitive tasks AI code assist tools like Copilot help developers work faster and more efficiently. 
• Improving code quality: Copilot’s code completion reduces human error, leading to stronger and more secure code. 
• Attracting top talent: Developers value cutting-edge tools like Copilot, making it a key factor in job satisfaction and talent acquisition.

Despite its benefits, the organization may face resistance to Copilot adoption from leadership: 

• Liability Concerns: Executives may worry about the risks and security of using AI-generated code.
• Unclear ROI:Leadership needs clear proof that Copilot boosts productivity, speeds up development, and integrates well with their existing stack.
• Security and compliance: AI generated code raises concerns about  sensitive data, violating code standards, or legal implications; Copilot is new enough that its impact on legal and compliance isn’t completely understood.

How can you encourage Copilot adoption?

To roll out Copilot at scale, plan ahead to make the transition smooth for developers. Encourage adoption without forcing it, keep communication clear, and offer extra support where needed. Leaders should also track key metrics to improve the rollout and adoption process.

Below are some strategies for a successful Copilot rollout: 

1. Communicate effectively: Just buying the licenses isn’t enough. It’s important to ensure that your developers know what Copilot is, how they can access it, and where they can find support.
2. Make adoption easy: Developers often like to try tools on their own. Github recommends offering a self-service Copilot mode so developers can claim a license without needing approval, which can make the adoption process smoother.
3. Provide education and training: Empower your team by offering comprehensive training on Copilot's features, best practices, and how it can add value to their work.
4. Celebrate successes: Share examples of how Copilot has helped other teams, showcasing improvements in productivity and code quality.
5. Offer one-on-one support: Some team members may need extra help. Pairing experienced team members with those new to Copilot can help guide them through the transition.
6. Reward adoption: Recognize and reward developers who actively use and promote Copilot, creating a culture of enthusiasm around its benefits.
7. Gradually integrate Copilot: Instead of pushing full adoption right away, phase it in, starting with simple tasks and gradually expanding its usage as developers get more comfortable.
8. Use data to track adoption: Track key metrics throughout the rollout to monitor and improve adoption and compare your teams’ use of Copilot.

What role does data play in a successful Copilot rollout? 

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. To manage and drive GitHub Copilot adoption leaders at your organization need to be able to see exactly how it’s being used by developers in real time. Leaders need clear baseline data, and dashboards that show adoption, usage, and other critical metrics.

It’s about more than simply tracking who is using Copilot and how. The data is a tool that allows your leaders to map the journey to adoption, adjusting their rollout strategy to maximize adoption, as well as Copilot’s impact on the organization as a whole. 

Opsera delivers critical Copilot adoption data

Opsera’s Unified Insights is a window into your teams’ adoption of Copilot. Opsera simplifies DevOps measurement, delivering insights into Copilot’s impact on DevEx, productivity, ROI trends, and downstream value. It’s the only platform that shows the full impact of Copilot: on developers, teams, projects, and on your organizational business goals.

By connecting all your DevOps tools across the entire software delivery process, Opsera gives your team a complete view of your software delivery process, allowing you to analyze and continuously improve your process. Opsera’s Unified Insights helps measure the ROI of GitHub Copilot by providing clear comparisons to baseline performance. The platform allows your team to make baseline comparisons with data from up to a year in the past, letting you easily chart your organization’s adoption journey.

Having all your Copilot metrics in one place makes it easier to manage your rollout. Opsera enables your team to: 

• Measure and drive Copilot adoption:  Use data-driven insights to encourage Copilot adoption, showcasing its benefits and addressing any concerns, and track Copilot use across development teams.
• Quantify productivity gains: Measure the impact of Copilot on developer productivity using metrics such as code completion time and code quality.
• Continuously improve the software delivery process: Find and resolve bottlenecks with metrics like Deployment Frequency, Lead Time, Change Failure Rate, and MTTR.
• See detailed adoption & engagement metrics: Understand usage patterns by AI model, language, and GitHub orgs to accelerate goals.

Ready for a window into your teams’ Github Copilot use? Unlock real-time insights, optimize workflows, and drive better business outcomes with Opsera Unified Insights.‍ Learn more about adoption trends and using data to drive your organization’s Copilot rollout in our white paper.