Xref: utzoo comp.software-eng:2487 comp.misc:7451 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!motcid!schultz From: schultz@cell.mot.COM (Rob Schultz) Newsgroups: comp.software-eng,comp.misc Subject: Re: Programmer productivity Keywords: Programmer Productivity Metrics Message-ID: <432@carmine9.UUCP> Date: 22 Nov 89 19:31:30 GMT References: Distribution: na Organization: Motorola Inc. - Cellular Infrastructure Div., Arlington Heights, IL 60004 Lines: 32 emuleomo@paul.rutgers.edu (Emuleomo) writes: >I heard that the average programmer produces 3-4 lines of *finished* >code a day! >This sounds ridiculously low. Does anybody out there know what the real >figure is? Or is it misleading to try and gauge productivity this way? >If it is, what are the recommended ways to measure programmer productivity >using some sort of metrics! >Any hints will be appreciated via email or otherwise. >Thanx Our developers spend as much as 6 or 8 months working on functional specs, analysis specs, interface specs, and design specs (HLD and LLD). Then the developer may spend 2 to 3 weeks coding, another week or 2 unit testing, and then spend more time in integration. During the actual coding phase, a developer may crank out 5 or 10 modules of perhaps 30 to 60 NCSL's per day. But averaged over the entire development cycle, yeah, 3 - 4 lines of finished code per day is not unreasonable. Given this, LOC per day is not really a good metric to measure productivity with. However, one could easily use it during the strict coding phase (taking into consideration such things as quality of design, etc). During other phases of development one would have to measure productivity in other ways. I don't know how at this point :-) but then I haven't seen any research on that point. Hope this helps . . . -- Thanks - Rob Schultz, Motorola General Systems Group rms 1501 W Shure Dr, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 708 / 632 - 2875 schultz@mot.cell.COM !uunet!motcid!schultz "There is no innocence - only pain." (Usual disclaimers)