ENGINEERING INTELLIGENCE INDEX 2025
by
SPREAD Team
on
THE STATE OF SOFTWARE-DEFINED PRODUCT ENGINEERING IN 2025
The Engineering Intelligence Index 2025 examines how engineers are navigating the growing complexity of software-defined products. Based on survey data from engineering leaders across manufacturing industries in the US and Europe, the report provides a fact-based overview of current challenges, costs, operational and technology needs, AI-readiness, and emerging practices in engineering.
And one insight is impossible to ignore: 75% of engineers now spend at least one-third of their time on admin, coordination, and chasing siloed information.
The Index also surfaces SEVERAL INTERESTING FINDINGS, INCLUDING:
- Most engineers say “complexity overload”, not tooling, is now their #1 obstacle
- Issue-resolution loops are silently consuming more capacity than new development work
- Leaders consistently cite “lack of cross-system visibility” as the true source of execution breakdowns
- And the capability engineers want most? A single, contextualized view of product data