From Code to Culture: The ROI of Human-Centered Engineering

Generative AI can accelerate software delivery, but without strong communication, business acumen, and collaboration, the result is rework, delays, and wasted investment. The real ROI comes from your people - not the tool.

This is the second article in our three-part series on skills beyond code. In this post, we’ll show how training your staff in human skills directly impacts the bottom line, reducing costly delays, lowering turnover, and driving higher profitability.

Fast code is worthless if it’s solving the wrong problem.

When the Project Management Institute analyzed why projects fail, the number one culprit wasn’t technical incompetence. It was miscommunication. Across industries, poor communication costs organizations $75 million for every $1 billion spent on projects. Now add generative AI into the mix. Tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT can produce code in seconds - but if your engineers don’t fully understand the business requirements, or can’t clearly communicate with product managers and stakeholders, that “fast” code still leads to costly rework, delays, and sometimes complete project failure. (PMI Study)

Human skills are the foundation. Without them, AI cannot deliver ROI.

The message to owners is clear: AI can generate code, but only your people can generate clarity, alignment, and culture. That’s where the real ROI comes from.

Communication prevents costly mistakes

AI can turn vague prompts into working code, but it can’t resolve the ambiguity of a poorly defined business problem. That’s where human communication skills make or break the project.

• Engineers who ask the right questions save weeks of wasted effort.
• Teams that clarify assumptions upfront avoid the cost of major rewrites later.
• Clear communication across technical and business functions ensures the right product gets built the first time.

Skill beyond code required: Communication and translation - the ability to connect business goals with technical execution.

Business acumen drives better decisions

AI can optimize for efficiency, but it can’t weigh long-term trade-offs like maintainability, security, or market relevance. An engineer with business acumen knows when to say: “Yes, this code works - but here’s why it will create technical debt” or “That feature may be elegant, but it doesn’t support the business case.”

Those moments of judgment protect your bottom line. They save money today and prevent expensive rebuilds tomorrow.

Skill beyond code required: Business literacy - the ability to make technical choices with financial and strategic consequences in mind.

Culture is the real multiplier

Generative AI can answer questions, but it can’t build trust. It can’t facilitate a design debate, mediate a conflict, or create psychological safety for innovation.

Leaders who invest in emotional intelligence and collaboration skills see the payoff in retention, innovation, and profitability.

• Gallup found that highly engaged teams deliver 21% higher profitability. (Gallup Q12 Survey)
• LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends survey reports that 92% of hiring managers say soft skills are equally or more important than technical skills. (Vervoe Research)

That’s not culture as a “nice-to-have.” That’s culture as a profit driver.

Skill beyond code required: Emotional intelligence and collaboration - the ability to work together, adapt, and innovate in complex environments.

From code to culture

With AI commoditizing code, the real differentiator for your business is the culture your engineers create. Teams that learn to communicate, collaborate, and think like business drivers deliver faster, make better decisions, and avoid costly churn.

AI can speed up tasks, but it cannot create alignment, trust, or resilience. Only people - trained in skills beyond code - can.

Owners: invest in the real ROI

If you want to see the full return on your AI investments, you must train your people in more than just technical skills. Communication, business acumen, collaboration, and emotional intelligence are the levers that turn AI from a cost saver into a profit multiplier.

AI may cut the cost of code. But only your people can create the culture that builds a profitable business.

Next in the series

In the next article - Building Your AI Advantage: Leading Resilient, Human-Centered Teams - we’ll explore how to create long-term resilience in an AI-powered market, and how leadership can ensure your business doesn’t just adapt, but thrives.