# How Productivity Metrics Can Undermine Software Development Teams

DevFeed: [How Productivity Metrics Can Undermine Software Development Teams](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-no-1-productivity-measure-no-one-is-talking-about-34966.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://tmsd.substack.com/p/the-no1-productivity-measure-no-one>)

Author: Richard Donovan

Published: 2023-10-15T20:40:16Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [The Modern Software Developer](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/the-modern-software-developer.md>)

Topics: [developer-productivity](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/developer-productivity.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [test-coverage](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/test-coverage.md>)

Tags: [developer-productivity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer-productivity.md>), [metrics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/metrics.md>), [test-coverage](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/test-coverage.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that conventional software-development productivity metrics can be harmful when turned into targets, particularly when used to assess individual developers. It says such measures can encourage gaming and fail to measure the outcomes leaders intend to assess.

## Source excerpt

Welcome back to The Modern Software Developer.