Peter Drucker is often misquoted as saying “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” You can read about this misattribution here: http://www.druckerinstitute.com/2013/07/measurement-myopia/.

Seasoned software developers know that the word “productivity” often denotes a measurement of some sort which has been defined by a manager in a well meaning but misguided attempt to troubleshoot problems with software product delivery.

Problems in delivery often increase exponentially as quality is compromised by a lack of technical leadership, or in an attempt to ameliorate concerns about short-term deadlines. These problems are particularly insidious due to a lack of insight into the long-term implications of short-term technical compromises.

The upshot of this is two-fold:

1. We need to track our performance, because our understanding as software development professionals is critical to picking the right indicators.
2. By reporting progress and identifying problems, we give non-technical managers a good source of data when making difficult decisions about troubleshooting a failing project or team.

” Work implies not only that somebody is supposed to do the job, but also accountability, a deadline and, finally, the measurement of results, that is, feedback from results on the work and on the planning process itself. “

P. Drucker