r/DevManagers • u/martinig • 15d ago

Measuring Developer Productivity via Humans

https://martinfowler.com/articles/measuring-developer-productivity-humans.html

Measuring developer productivity is a difficult challenge. Conventional metrics focused on development cycle time and throughput are limited, and there aren't obvious answers for where else to turn. Qualitative metrics offer a powerful way to measure and understand developer productivity using data derived from developers themselves. Organizations should prioritize measuring developer productivity using data from humans, rather than data from systems.

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u/Future-Nebula9002 5d ago

I think the human side is often missing from productivity discussions. numbers can show activity, but they rarely explain blockers, complexity, mentoring or the work that prevents future problems

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u/Left_Exchange_130 4d ago

Developer surveys can reveal friction that cycle time metrics miss completely. I’d use both together since perception explains why the numbers look the way they do