All of the process improvement processes are a variation on:
Unfortunately, this measurement is often subject to inversion ( does not correlate well to what is being measured) and when people realize that it is being used for rating, can and will be gamed. The other unfortunate reality is the programmer productivity is actually a better measurement of the process than of the people, so it is a very useful metric if used correctly.
As always, be careful what you measure since this will often be counterproductive and drive unintended consequences as can be seen in the much quoted Dilbert cartoon -
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-11-13/
In conclusion, ensure that metrics are judiciously used and that productivity and performance are based on more than one metric
- Define
- Measure
- Analyze
- Act
- Control
Unfortunately, this measurement is often subject to inversion ( does not correlate well to what is being measured) and when people realize that it is being used for rating, can and will be gamed. The other unfortunate reality is the programmer productivity is actually a better measurement of the process than of the people, so it is a very useful metric if used correctly.
As always, be careful what you measure since this will often be counterproductive and drive unintended consequences as can be seen in the much quoted Dilbert cartoon -
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-11-13/
In conclusion, ensure that metrics are judiciously used and that productivity and performance are based on more than one metric