Methods for monitoring productivity in applicative software development

Abstract

This paper investigates possibilities for monitoring productivity in aplicative software development. Besides a number of additional benefits, monitoring productivity in software development enables, as a final consequence, increased productivity in the area being measured. After considering several existing methods for the measurement of productivity in software development (Halstead, Albrecht, coded lines), an altermative approach of measurement which includes certain methods used in planning software development, is considered. The meanings of quantity and quality in software development as too the limited meanings of software productivity and productivity in software development are discussed. Methods for measuring the programmer's and the organizer's work are offered. Both methods measure work based on the quality and quantity of the finished job; may be applied either manually or automatically on several levels; and may be applied in any EDP centre which deals with applicative software development. The method for measuring the programmer's work measures work in advance based on estimated work complexity and estimated necessary requirements of defined executors. The method for measuring the organizer's work measures work after completion; is based on the estimated complexity of the system, quality of the system, and if required on other elements important for software development. The methods have been tested on software development for one year on a sample of four EDP centres.