My favorite developer productivity research method that nobody uses

Overview The article introduces a little-known research technique for assessing developer productivity, explaining why it is often ignored and how it can be applied in modern software teams. It walks through the methodology, required data, and steps to implement it without excessive overhead.

Key Takeaways

• The method provides quantitative insights while minimizing bias.
• It leverages existing version-control metrics combined with developer self-reporting.
• Implementation can be done with common tooling and does not require expensive surveys.
• Results help identify bottlenecks and inform leadership decisions.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers seeking data-driven productivity insights.
• Technical leaders looking to justify process changes.
• Researchers interested in practical software engineering metrics.
• Team leads aiming to improve developer satisfaction and output.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Version-control analytics.
• Self-assessment surveys.
• Statistical correlation analysis.
• Continuous feedback loops.