Productivity

I feel productive on most days.

What is developer productivity?

Developer productivity refers to how effectively developers can complete their work and achieve meaningful outcomes. It's not just about the quantity of code written or tasks completed, but about the quality of work, the ability to solve problems efficiently, and the sense of accomplishment that comes from making progress without unnecessary friction.

True productivity emerges when developers can engage in focused work with minimal interruptions, have the right tools and processes to support their workflows, and can see the impact of their contributions.

"Even the highest-performing companies waste at least 25% of their developers' time, while most companies waste closer to 50%. This is probably the single most expensive cost for any company – the time of their staff."

Senior Principal Scientist at Software Development Company

Why is developer productivity important?

Developer productivity directly impacts business outcomes, team morale, and individual satisfaction. When developers feel productive, they're more engaged, produce higher quality work, and experience less burnout.

Productive teams deliver more value to customers, adapt more quickly to changing requirements, and contribute to a positive company culture.

"When my development team works efficiently and quickly, it's generating significant financial outcomes. We're talking about millions in revenue flowing in from users and customers who pay for our services."

Head at Document Automation Platform

How do you measure developer productivity?

What are the most effective metrics for measuring developer productivity?

Measuring developer productivity is notoriously challenging. Traditional metrics like lines of code or number of tickets closed often fail to capture the true value and complexity of software development work.

More meaningful approaches include:

1. Output quality metrics: Defect rates, customer satisfaction, and feature adoption
2. DORA or Flow metrics: Lead time, cycle time, deployment frequency, etc.
3. Developer experience metrics: Self-reported productivity, satisfaction, and enablement

How can the DevEx Survey help diagnose productivity issues?

The Network Perspective DevEx Survey provides an efficient way to identify productivity barriers through:

1. Direct measurement: The "I feel productive on most days" question gauges overall sentiment
2. Contextual insights: Related questions about deep work, context switching, and meeting load help pinpoint specific issues
3. Trend analysis: Regular surveys track improvements or declines over time
4. Benchmarking: Compare your team's productivity metrics against industry standards

Should we trust self-reported productivity?

Self-reported productivity is a valuable metric, especially when combined with quantitative measures. Developers often have the best insight into their own productivity blockers and enablers.

"We can just directly ask people if they feel more productive."

Vice President at Industrial Machinery Manufacturer

The Network Perspective DevEx Survey question "I feel productive on most days" provides a simple yet powerful way to gauge how developers perceive their own productivity, which research shows correlates strongly with actual output.

"My main takeaway is this: don't obsess over precise measurements. Instead of seeking perfect objectivity, focus on creating metrics that are actionable and lead to useful outcomes. Particularly for developer experience, measurements should ultimately help your company become more productive."

Deputy Head of Development at Financial Trading Software Provider

What are the biggest barriers to developer productivity?

Why do developers often feel unproductive despite working hard?

The most common barriers to developer productivity include:

1. Meeting overload: Too many meetings fragment the workday and prevent deep focus
2. Context switching: Frequent task-switching depletes cognitive resources
3. Limited deep work time: Insufficient blocks of uninterrupted time for complex problem-solving
4. Process inefficiencies: Cumbersome approvals, slow feedback loops, and unnecessary bureaucracy
5. Technical debt: Working with difficult or legacy codebases that slow development

How does the perception of productivity differ between developers and managers?

A fascinating productivity disconnect exists between how productive developers feel versus how productive their managers perceive them to be, especially in remote and hybrid environments:

"There's something like 'productivity bias.' This essentially refers to how visual cues influence our perception of productivity. Microsoft's research illustrates this perfectly. They surveyed a large sample of remote workers, asking if they felt more productive working remotely, and also asked leaders if they believed their teams were productive. The results showed a striking disconnect: 80% of employees reported being more productive when working remotely, while 80% of leaders expressed increasing concerns about their employees' productivity."

Professional at Banking Group

This misalignment can lead to mistrust, micromanagement, and policies that actually reduce productivity rather than enhance it.

How can organizations improve developer productivity?

What practical steps can engineering leaders take to boost productivity?

Based on research and industry best practices, these approaches consistently improve developer productivity:

Prioritize deep work: Create and protect blocks of uninterrupted time for focused work.

"There are teams, like software developers, who generate their greatest value during periods of focused work. This deep work is essential, and we need to deliberately optimize their schedules to maximize these periods of concentration."

Director of Engineering at Cloud Data Platform

Reduce meeting load: Audit and eliminate unnecessary meetings, make others more efficient.

"Imagine the impact in a 1000-person company if you could reduce each employee's meeting time by just two hours per week. That's not a dramatic change, considering employees typically spend 15-17 hours weekly in meetings. But this modest reduction would free up 25,000 hours over three months across the organization, valued at approximately 2 million USD. Annually, that's nearly 100,000 hours worth 8 million USD—equivalent to 50 full-time positions."

Professional

Minimize context switching: Group similar tasks, reduce interruptions, and create better task handoff processes.

"This has an enormous impact on productivity, more than any other factor. When you combine reduced context switching with familiarity, the results are powerful. The more a team works on similar types of tasks, the more they develop routine, confidence, and speed. While varied work might be more interesting and enjoyable, it can't match the productivity gains that come from focused specialization."

Staff Software Engineer at Payment Processing Company

Optimize the entire workday: Look beyond just coding time to find efficiency improvements.

"Consider developers spend 2 hours actually coding each day. What they are doing with their remaining hours? That's where the low-hanging fruit is. What can we optimize beyond those two hours of coding time? What benefits could we gain? I've started framing this entire discussion around time optimization. If you want to double a developer's productivity without extending their workday, focus on turning their typical 2 hours of coding into 4 hours by addressing everything that happens outside of coding."

Professional

Use data to identify and address bottlenecks: Analyze patterns in work habits and collaboration.

"Metrics are crucial for evidence-based decision making, which I believe is essential. We shouldn't make decisions based solely on intuitions or assumptions. Having concrete evidence helps support our choices."

Engineering Manager at Software Development Company

What are the long-term benefits of improved developer productivity?

Beyond immediate output, what other benefits come from improved productivity?

When organizations successfully enhance developer productivity, they see cascading benefits:

1. Increased innovation: More time for creative thinking and exploration
2. Higher retention: Productive developers are more satisfied and less likely to leave
3. Better quality: Less rushed work leads to fewer defects and technical debt
4. Improved morale: Success breeds confidence and positive team dynamics
5. Competitive advantage: Faster delivery of customer value

"I love this because it's my work – it's what I do every day, so it's easy to talk about. I just worry about boring others with my enthusiasm. But honestly, I love what I do, and I think my colleagues feel the same way. It's challenging work, certainly, but when you commit yourself to it, you can create things that make the world a little better. That's the perspective to have: we have jobs where we might not be curing cancer, but we're making meaningful improvements like speeding up start times by 5%. Those achievements create truly rewarding experiences for people."

Senior Engineering Manager at Video Sharing Platform

How does productivity relate to other aspects of developer experience?

Productivity is intertwined with nearly every aspect of developer experience:

• Tooling quality: Better tools reduce friction and enable flow
• Collaboration patterns: Effective teamwork amplifies individual productivity
• Process efficiency: Streamlined workflows prevent bottlenecks
• Work environment: Physical and digital spaces that minimize distractions
• Learning culture: Knowledge sharing prevents duplicate work and repeated mistakes

Conclusion

Developer productivity remains one of the most important yet challenging aspects of software engineering management. By focusing on creating environments where developers can do their best work with minimal friction, organizations not only improve output but also enhance satisfaction, quality, and innovation.

Remember that productivity is ultimately about enabling developers to create value, not just activity. As you assess and improve your team's productivity, focus on outcomes over output, and ensure that your productivity initiatives align with broader business goals and developer well-being.