Studying Task Processes for Improving Programmer Productivity

Abstract

Productivity of a software development organization can be enhanced by improving the software process, using better tools/technology, and enhancing the productivity of programmers. This work focuses on improving programmer productivity by studying the process used by a programmer for executing an assigned task, which we call the task process. We propose a general framework for studying the impact of task processes on programmer productivity and also the impact of transferring task processes of high-productivity programmers to average-productivity peers. We applied the framework to a few live projects in Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Limited, a CMMI Level 5 company. In each project, we identified two groups of programmers: high-productivity and average-productivity programmers. We requested each programmer to video capture their computer screen while executing his/her assigned tasks. We then analyzed these task videos to extract the task processes and then used them to identify the differences between the task processes used by the two groups. Some key differences were found between the task processes, which could account for the difference in productivities of the two groups. Similarities between the task processes were also analyzed quantitatively by modeling each task process as a Markov chain. We found that programmers from the same group used similar task processes, but the task processes of the two groups differed considerably. The task processes of high-productivity programmers were transferred to the average-productivity programmers by training them on the key steps missing in their process but commonly present in the work of their high-productivity peers. A substantial productivity gain was found in the average-productivity programmers as a result of this transfer. The study shows that task processes of programmers impact their productivity, and it is possible to improve the productivity of average-productivity programmers by transferring task processes from high-productivity programmers to them.