My talk on what are the human and social aspects of productivity, especially in the context of software development

1. The Human Side
of Productivity
Tathagat Varma
Sr. Director, Strategy & Operations
Walmart Labs
$

2. Source: https://lifehacker.com/work-smarter-and-more-easily-by-sharpening-your-axe-5814019

3. What is Productivity?
Productivity =
Output
Input

4. Software Work
Inputs
• Requirements
• Ideas
• Research
• Design
• Code
• Testing
• Communication
• Time
• Effort
• Costs
• …
Outputs
• Software
• Documentation
• (Bugs)
• (Bad quality)
• (Delays)
• (Low usability)
• (Costly)
• (Bloated!)
• (Rework)
• (Waste)
• …

5. Dimensions of Productivity
over time
Waterfall Era
Specs / LOC
On-time
On-budget
High quality
Episodic
Agile Era
Value-driven
Working Software
Resilience to change
Sustainable Pace
Cadence
Currently
Interesting puzzle
End-user value
Co-creation
On-demand
Drip-feed
Coming Soon
AI-assisted
Cognitive
Quantum
?

6. Software Work
Source: https://swanstoncottageindustries.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/software-engineers-spend-lots-of-time-not-building-software/

7. Developer Work Week, 2018
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/912562/worldwide-developer-work-week/

8. Seven Wastes in Lean
Source: https://kanbanize.com/lean-management/value-waste/7-wastes-of-lean/

9. Source: http://adaptagility.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/7-Wastes.001.jpeg

10. The 8th Waste!!!

11. Factors affecting Productivity
in Software Teams
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-productivity-model-based-on-factors-affecting-software-development-adapted-from-de_fig1_262160319

12. Social Productivity
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-productivity-model-based-on-factors-affecting-software-development-adapted-from-de_fig1_262160319

13. Flow

14. Busy = Productive?

15. Multitasking
Source: https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-multi-tasking-myth/

16. Overtime
Source: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/jmeier/2013/05/19/daniel-cook-on-8-laws-of-productivity/

17. Happiness
Source: https://positivesharing.com/2007/03/top-10-reasons-why-happiness-at-work-is-the-ultimate-productivity-booster/

18. T-shaped!
Source: https://kallokain.blogspot.com/2019/04/simple-simulator-t-shaped-vs-i-shaped.html

19. Software is a team sport!!!
Source: https://indiacareers.walmartlabs.com/

20. Pair Programming
Source: https://jrebel.com/rebellabs/developer-productivity-report-2013-how-engineering-tools-practices-impact-software-quality-delivery/6/

21. Google’s Project Aristotle:
What makes a team effective at Google?
Source:
Source: https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/
• Teams: are highly interdependent -
they plan work, solve problems,
make decisions, and review
progress in service of a specific
project. Team members need one
another to get work done.
• Effectiveness: measured in four
different ways:
• Executive evaluation of the
team
• Team leader evaluation of the
tea,
• Team member evaluation of the
team
• Sales performance against
quarterly quota

22. No Silver Bullet?