diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index f508a23..02879c0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
+### Changed
+- Set default release version to 17 [#62](https://github.com/cucumber/cucumber-parent/pull/62)
+- Set minimum Maven to v3.9.0
+- Enable Error prone with Nullaway
+- Enable Checkstyle
 
 ## [4.5.0] - 2025-10-15
 ### Changed
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index ddcb180..0c4961b 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
     <groupId>io.cucumber</groupId>
     <artifactId>cucumber-parent</artifactId>
-    <version>4.5.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>5.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
     <packaging>pom</packaging>
     <name>Cucumber Parent</name>
     <description>Common configuration for all Cucumber modules</description>
@@ -22,13 +22,21 @@
     </developers>
 
     <properties>
+        <!-- Project settings-->
         <project.build.outputTimestamp>1760538714</project.build.outputTimestamp>
         <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
         <project.reporting.outputEncoding>UTF-8</project.reporting.outputEncoding>
-        <minimum.maven.version>3.6.0</minimum.maven.version>
-        <jacoco-maven-plugin.version>0.8.14</jacoco-maven-plugin.version>
-        <java.version>1.8</java.version>
-        <maven-antrun-plugin.version>3.2.0</maven-antrun-plugin.version>
+        <minimum.maven.version>3.9.0</minimum.maven.version>
+        <maven.compiler.release>17</maven.compiler.release>
+        <maven.compiler.parameters>true</maven.compiler.parameters>
+
+        <!-- OSGI Configuration -->
+        <osgi.export-contents>*;-noimport:=true</osgi.export-contents>
+        <osgi.import-package>*</osgi.import-package>
+        <osgi.bundle-symbolic-name>${project.Automatic-Module-Name}</osgi.bundle-symbolic-name>
+
+        <!-- Maven plugin versions -->
+        <maven-antrun-plugin.version>3.1.0</maven-antrun-plugin.version>
         <maven-archetype-plugin.version>3.4.1</maven-archetype-plugin.version>
         <maven-checkstyle-plugin.version>3.6.0</maven-checkstyle-plugin.version>
         <maven-clean-plugin.version>3.5.0</maven-clean-plugin.version>
@@ -49,15 +57,22 @@
         <maven-toolchains-plugin.version>3.2.0</maven-toolchains-plugin.version>
         <maven-install-plugin.version>3.1.4</maven-install-plugin.version>
         <maven-war-plugin.version>3.5.0</maven-war-plugin.version>
+
+        <!-- Other Maven plugin versions -->
         <build-helper-maven-plugin.version>3.6.1</build-helper-maven-plugin.version>
         <bnd-maven-plugin.version>7.1.0</bnd-maven-plugin.version>
         <central-publishing-maven-plugin.version>0.9.0</central-publishing-maven-plugin.version>
-        <versions-maven-plugin.version>2.19.1</versions-maven-plugin.version>
         <directory-maven-plugin.version>1.0</directory-maven-plugin.version>
+        <jacoco-maven-plugin.version>0.8.14</jacoco-maven-plugin.version>
         <spotless-maven-plugin.version>3.0.0</spotless-maven-plugin.version>
-        <osgi.bundle-symbolic-name>${project.Automatic-Module-Name}</osgi.bundle-symbolic-name>
-        <osgi.export-contents>*;-noimport:=true</osgi.export-contents>
-        <osgi.import-package>*</osgi.import-package>
+        <versions-maven-plugin.version>2.19.1</versions-maven-plugin.version>
+
+        <!-- Maven compiler plugin versions-->
+        <error-prone.version>2.43.0</error-prone.version>
+        <nullaway.version>0.12.11</nullaway.version>
+
+        <!-- Maven Checkstyle plugin versions -->
+        <puppycrawl-checkstyle.version>12.1.1</puppycrawl-checkstyle.version>
     </properties>
 
     <licenses>
@@ -143,6 +158,84 @@
                     <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                     <artifactId>maven-checkstyle-plugin</artifactId>
                     <version>${maven-checkstyle-plugin.version}</version>
+                    <dependencies>
+                        <dependency>
+                            <groupId>com.puppycrawl.tools</groupId>
+                            <artifactId>checkstyle</artifactId>
+                            <version>${puppycrawl-checkstyle.version}</version>
+                        </dependency>
+                    </dependencies>
+
+                    <configuration>
+                        <consoleOutput>true</consoleOutput>
+                        <failsOnError>true</failsOnError>
+                        <includeTestSourceDirectory>true</includeTestSourceDirectory>
+                        <!-- See: https://checkstyle.org/checks.html-->
+                        <checkstyleRules>
+                            <module name="Checker">
+                                <property name="severity" value="error"/>
+                                <module name="UniqueProperties"/>
+                                <module name="com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.TreeWalker">
+                                    <module name="AvoidStarImport"/>
+                                    <module name="AnnotationUseStyle"/>
+                                    <module name="DefaultComesLast"/>
+                                    <module name="DesignForExtension"/>
+                                    <module name="EmptyBlock"/>
+                                    <module name="EmptyCatchBlock"/>
+                                    <module name="EmptyLineSeparator">
+                                        <property name="allowNoEmptyLineBetweenFields" value="true"/>
+                                    </module>
+                                    <module name="EmptyStatement"/>
+                                    <module name="EqualsHashCode"/>
+                                    <module name="FallThrough"/>
+                                    <module name="FinalClass"/>
+                                    <module name="HideUtilityClassConstructor"/>
+                                    <module name="InnerTypeLast"/>
+                                    <module name="InterfaceIsType"/>
+                                    <module name="InvalidJavadocPosition"/>
+                                    <module name="JavadocBlockTagLocation"/>
+                                    <module name="JavadocContentLocation"/>
+                                    <module name="JavadocLeadingAsteriskAlign"/>
+                                    <module name="JavadocMissingLeadingAsterisk"/>
+                                    <module name="JavadocMethod">
+                                        <property name="allowMissingParamTags" value="true"/>
+                                        <property name="allowMissingReturnTag" value="true"/>
+                                    </module>
+                                    <module name="MissingDeprecated"/>
+                                    <module name="MutableException"/>
+                                    <module name="MissingOverride"/>
+                                    <module name="NoClone"/>
+                                    <module name="NoCodeInFile"/>
+                                    <module name="NoEnumTrailingComma"/>
+                                    <module name="NoFinalizer"/>
+                                    <module name="OneTopLevelClass"/>
+                                    <module name="OuterTypeFilename"/>
+                                    <module name="OuterTypeNumber"/>
+                                    <module name="PackageDeclaration"/>
+                                    <module name="PackageName"/>
+                                    <module name="RedundantImport"/>
+                                    <module name="RedundantModifier"/>
+                                    <module name="StringLiteralEquality"/>
+                                    <module name="UnnecessaryNullCheckWithInstanceOf"/>
+                                    <module name="UnnecessaryParentheses"/>
+                                    <module name="UnnecessarySemicolonAfterOuterTypeDeclaration"/>
+                                    <module name="UnnecessarySemicolonAfterTypeMemberDeclaration"/>
+                                    <module name="UnnecessarySemicolonInEnumeration"/>
+                                    <module name="UnnecessarySemicolonInTryWithResources"/>
+                                    <module name="UnusedImports"/>
+                                    <module name="UnusedLocalVariable"/>
+                                    <module name="NonEmptyAtclauseDescription"/>
+                                    <module name="SuppressWarningsHolder"/>
+                                </module>
+                                <module name="RegexpSingleline">
+                                    <property name="format" value="@author"/>
+                                    <property name="message" value="Please do not use @author tags"/>
+                                    <property name="fileExtensions" value="java,groovy,kt"/>
+                                </module>
+                                <module name="SuppressWarningsFilter"/>
+                            </module>
+                        </checkstyleRules>
+                    </configuration>
                 </plugin>
 
                 <plugin>
@@ -156,9 +249,24 @@
                     <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                     <version>${maven-compiler-plugin.version}</version>
                     <configuration>
-                        <encoding>UTF-8</encoding>
-                        <source>${java.version}</source>
-                        <target>${java.version}</target>
+                        <compilerArgs>
+                            <arg>-Werror</arg>
+                            <arg>--should-stop=ifError=FLOW</arg>
+                            <arg>-XDcompilePolicy=simple</arg>
+                            <arg>-Xplugin:ErrorProne -XepOpt:NullAway:AnnotatedPackages=io.cucumber -Xep:AnnotateFormatMethod:OFF -Xep:DoNotCallSuggester:OFF -Xep:DoNotCallSuggester:OFF -Xep:InlineMeSuggester:OFF</arg>
+                        </compilerArgs>
+                        <annotationProcessorPaths>
+                            <path>
+                                <groupId>com.google.errorprone</groupId>
+                                <artifactId>error_prone_core</artifactId>
+                                <version>${error-prone.version}</version>
+                            </path>
+                            <path>
+                                <groupId>com.uber.nullaway</groupId>
+                                <artifactId>nullaway</artifactId>
+                                <version>${nullaway.version}</version>
+                            </path>
+                        </annotationProcessorPaths>
                     </configuration>
                 </plugin>
 
@@ -240,7 +348,7 @@
                         </archive>
                     </configuration>
                 </plugin>
-                
+
                 <plugin>
                     <groupId>biz.aQute.bnd</groupId>
                     <artifactId>bnd-maven-plugin</artifactId>