Measuring Productivity of Your Software Development Team

Kapsys is a software development company. We develop & implement products that increase conversion, reduce cost and build an excellent user experience. Considering industry standards, the client's product vision, and non-functional requirements, we provide custom application development services with consistency, transparency, and predictability.

Productivity when developing software is typically tricky to measure. Is it how fast your team is doing something? Lines of code are a poor measure; are the number of modules an indicator? The degree of module reuse within a project or from previous projects?

Function points measure software size, considering the number of instructions, data elements, and control flows in a program. One uses it to calculate the productivity of a software development team.

Kapsys use Function Point Analysis (FPA) as an estimation technique for measuring the size of custom software applications. FPA measures software size regarding the number of valuable functions the software must deliver. User functions measure how much value the software will provide to its users. This technique measures the functionality that users require from an application rather than lines of code or other technical measures.

This approach has many advantages over traditional estimation techniques:

• It is independent of the technology used to implement the software.
• It is easy to use and does not require any special training.
• It estimates the size of both new and existing software.

Having understood this, it is critical to understand the importance of measuring the productivity of your software development team. Kapsys provides the necessary tools and expertise to help you do just that. You can identify areas where your team could be improved and make changes required to increase overall productivity.

Some tips on how to measure the productivity of your team include:

1. Software Development Process Models

The first step is to understand your team's software development process model(s). It will help you identify the various activities and how they are interrelated. For example, if your team uses the waterfall model, you would need to measure the productivity of each exercise in the software development process, such as requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, and so on. In addition, you would also need to consider the time spent on each activity and the output (in terms of lines of code, number of defects, etc.). Mostly, it is advisable to use a tool like VersionOne or JIRA to track the progress of each software development activity. In the long run, using a process model-based approach can help you identify areas of improvement in the development process and make necessary changes to increase overall productivity. If the team is using an agile process model, you would need to measure the productivity of each sprint and compare it with the team's average.

2. Software Development Metrics

Several software metrics measures productivity. These include function points and lines of code. While these metrics can help you understand your team's productivity to some extent, they have several limitations. For instance, lines of code are an inferior measure of productivity as it does not consider the quality of the code or the number of bugs. In addition, function points do not consider the time spent on each activity or the amount of rework required. It is essential to understand that not all metrics are created equal. Some metrics are more relevant to specific development processes, while others may be more applicable to a particular organization. For example, if you use the agile methodology, you would likely use story points or velocity measures to measure productivity. The key is to identify the metric (or metrics) that are most relevant to your team and organization and focus on those. Trying to track too many metrics can be counterproductive and lead to information overload.

3. Software Development Company

Perhaps the most critical factor in determining the productivity of your team is the company you are working for. The company's size, the type of industry, the development process used, and so on all play a role in determining productivity. For example, a small software development company that uses the agile methodology is likely to be more productive than a large company that uses the waterfall model. Additionally, a software development company specializing in developing mobile apps is likely to be more effective than one developing enterprise software. It is not to say that one company is better than the other, but that different companies have different productivity levels. The key is to find a company that is a good match for your team and that you are comfortable working with.

4. Custom Software Development

The productivity of your software development team can also be affected by the type of software it develops. Custom software, for example, is likely to be more productive than off-the-shelf software since its work is to meet the customer's needs. Several factors contribute to the increased productivity of custom software development, including that it is usually developed in a shorter timeframe and requires fewer changes (and hence, less rework) than off-the-shelf software. It can be a productive process when custom software development is well set. However, it is essential to ensure stakeholders align to the requirements and that the customer is involved in the development process. In addition to this, let's look at what Agile software development methodology offers. The Agile methodology is a software development process that relies on continuous communication and feedback between the customer and the development team. It has been gaining popularity over the past few years, as it offers several benefits not found in other development processes. Some of the key benefits of the Agile methodology include:

1. Sprint Burndown Reports

The Agile methodology uses short sprints time-boxed periods (usually two weeks) during which one completes a specific set of software development tasks. At the end of each sprint, the software development team produces a burndown report and a graphical representation of the work remaining. This report allows the customer to see how the development team is doing and whether they are on track to meet the deadline.

2. Story Point Tracking

The Agile methodology also uses story points to track the software development team's progress. Story points are a measure used to estimate the amount of work required to complete a task. They are different from hours or days in that they are not a direct measure of time but rather an estimate of the effort required to complete a task. It allows the software development team to track their progress over time, regardless of how long it takes them to complete the task. Story point tracking helps the development team identify bottlenecks in their process and adjust their workflow accordingly. In the end, this results in a more efficient and productive development process.

3. Cycle Times

Cycle time is the amount of time it takes to complete a task, from start to finish. In the Agile methodology, cycle times measure each task and sprint. This information helps the software development team identify areas where they can improve their efficiency. For example, if a particular task has a long cycle time, the development team can look for ways to reduce that time. In addition, the cycle time data improves the estimates for future tasks. Cycle times improve the software development process's predictability and help ensure that tasks are completed on time. In the end, this leads to a more productive software development team.

4. Other Agile Productivity Metrics

There are a number of other productivity metrics that can be used in the Agile methodology, including velocity and burn down rate. 

Velocity: The average number of story points that the software development team can complete in a sprint. This metric allows the customer to track the development team's progress over time. Primarily, it predicts how much work the development team can complete in future sprints. When the development team has a high velocity, they complete more tasks in each sprint. It is generally seen as a good thing, indicating that the software development team is becoming more efficient. This measure compares the performance of different development teams. Velocity is critical in the Agile methodology, as it allows the customer to see whether the software development team is on track to meet their deadlines. 

Burn Down Rate: The burndown rate is when the development team completes tasks. It helps the customer see how quickly the development team is working and whether they are on track to meet the deadline. This metric tracks the software development team's progress over time. A high burndown rate indicates that the development team is working quickly and is on the way to meeting the deadline. A low burndown rate means that the development team is not working as quickly and may be in danger of missing the deadline. Acquiring these skills will make you a valuable asset to any organization and allow you to work independently and efficiently. The Burndown rate is a good measure to see if a team is working quickly and efficiently.

Conclusion

Measuring productivity is critical to the success of any organization. Kapsys provides a suite of tools that can help you measure productivity and improve your organization's efficiency. Our experts help enterprises connect businesses with information technology services. We especially have a great wealth of experience assisting companies in developing custom software solutions. Agile methodology is one of the most popular frameworks for measuring productivity.