Developer Productivity Myths: Work Hours = Productivity

If you work 8 hours a day, then the daily productivity divided by 8 hours is 12.5% productivity per hour. If you change it to 10 hours a day, you should be able to complete 25% more work, right? This is the most common and intuitive way to assess productivity: “Work hours = Productivity.”

But developers are not machines; everyone has limits. Physical strength, focus, mood, and daily routines can all be affected. Once you start to worship the idea that “working longer hours = higher productivity,” it can destroy personal efficiency and team morale. “Two pregnant women do not make a baby come faster.” Many times, creating a product is similar; increasing productivity is not just about having more people work longer hours. Why shouldn’t productivity be assessed based on work hours?

1. Everyone has a different tolerance for overtime.
2. The nature of the work does not necessarily reward labor-intensive hours.

Therefore, I believe that overtime should not be a regular means of improving work efficiency. It can be a short-term emergency measure or specific types of work (more chickens lay more eggs = the more chickens, the more eggs). For most development work, overtime is not a good way to increase productivity.

Seeing a good article prompts me to sort out my own views, and I expect to write more about developer productivity assessment metrics.