A software development team has to be extremely productive in order to prove its worth and leave its mark in the cut-throat competition of software development industry. But it is not an easy task for a software manager to measure the productivity of development team. Here are a few developer metrics essential in measuring the productivity of software development team.
- Sprint Report
Sprint refers to the planned time-schedule in which the developers have decided to complete their targets. Generally, Sprint length varies from 1-4 weeks. In the beginning, the developers list down the tasks to be completed, and at the end of the Sprint period, they report about the completed or unfinished tasks. This report helps to understand the productivity of development team and the necessity of improvisation, if any. - Speed
The speed with which a developer works is an imperative factor to decide his productivity. However, this speed depends on multiple factors such as knowledge, experience, resources and expertise on the technology given to him for completing the task. Therefore, comparison between developers is not really possible by comparing just the speed, but as an individual productivity measure, speed is considered an essential factor by managers. - Cycle Time
This metric focuses on the time taken by development team to resolve issues. If the team works with stability and confidence even on receiving many issues and fixes the issues constantly, along with updating the ongoing and resolved issues, then the team is considered highly productive. - Open Pull-Requests
A pull-request is added by the developers asking the code teams to re-examine the work. The pull-requests always remain open till the time a feedback is received and the request gets closed by the manager. High rate of opening and closing of pull-requests directly related to high productivity.
WAYS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITYOF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
- Creating a Productive Atmosphere
Reducing productivity can be connected with the work-environment as well instead of just the issues of the development team. The managers must make sure they provide enough space to the development teams with less disturbance and more peace, along with providing timely refreshments and fuel in order to make them feel comfortable to give their best. - Support the Development Team
Sufficient support is an important factor for developers to work efficiently without losing direction and force. Make sure to provide the development team with a project manager to clarify the goals and expectations in detail, and to support them throughout the project. - Define Workflow
A maintained and well-defined workflow helps in promoting efficiency and teamwork. Transparency in planning the workflow physically on a board in front of the whole team leads to better focus on both individual and teamwork resulting in improved productivity.
Conclusion:
Increasing number of enterprises has led to increased fear of competition and decreased quality of work environment. It is about time that companies understand the need of providing sufficient support and productive environment to their software development teams in order to cope up with the demands of the global market.
