Questionable Advice: Can Engineering Productivity Be Measured?

Overview
The article examines the challenges of quantifying engineering productivity, critiquing popular advice and metrics that often oversimplify complex work. It argues that productivity is context-dependent and that many traditional measurements fail to capture true value.

Key Takeaways

• Simple metrics like lines of code or tickets closed can be misleading.
• Focus on outcomes, impact, and quality rather than raw output.
• Align measurement approaches with team goals and business objectives.
• Encourage continuous improvement and healthy engineering culture.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers seeking better ways to assess team performance.
• Technical leaders interested in effective measurement practices.
• Software developers curious about the limits of productivity metrics.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Outcome-based measurement.
• OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).
• Lean engineering principles.