Factors affecting personal software development productivity: A case study with PSP data

Abstract

Understanding the factors that affect the productivity of software developers and may cause productivity variations among individuals and projects is important for anyone interested in improving software engineering performance and estimates, and in particular for users of high-maturity processes, such as the Personal Software Process (PSP) and the Team Software Process (TSP). In order to contribute to the understanding of the personal and non-personal factors that affect productivity, we analyzed the data from more than 3000 developers that concluded successfully the 10 projects of the PSP for Engineers I/II training course. Regarding non-personal factors, by conducting a detailed per-phase analysis, we found significant variations of productivity among projects that can be partially explained by process changes. Regarding personal factors, we found significant variations among individuals that can be partially explained by personal experience.