How to Measure and Improve Developer Productivity

Abi Noda, Co-founder & CEO @ DX returns to the show to discuss his latest research on measuring & improving developer productivity, and provides a practical, developer-focused framework to give you clear, actionable insights into what to measure and where to focus in order to improve developer productivity. Abi reveals the inspiration behind his whitepaper / research, elements of their new DevEx framework, and how eng leaders can implement it into their org’s practice in order to increase developer productivity. We also cover the evolution of measuring developer experience (including output metrics, DORA & SPACE frameworks) and the benefits / shortcomings of each approach. In addition, learn not only the importance of having a dedicated DevEx team, but also how to implement these insights if your org isn’t ready to have a dedicated team yet.

ABOUT ABI NODA

Abi (@abinoda) is the CEO and co-founder of DX, the world's first developer experience management platform. He was previously the CEO and founder of Pull Panda, which was acquired by GitHub in 2019. At GitHub he led research collaborations with Dr. Nicole Forsgren, McKinsey, and Microsoft Research, which was the impetus for founding DX.

"Oftentimes, organizations that are larger that get started with these types of measurements in their framework, they're really surprised. They realize that, 'Oh man, there's all these opportunities we didn't even realize and developers are telling us these are the most important things. These aren't the things we're working on and we need to shift our focus.' So, I think there's a huge opportunity to refocus by getting a holistic picture of the developer experience.”

- Abi Noda   

Join us at ELC Annual 2023!

ELC Annual is our flagship conference for engineering leaders. You’ll learn from experts in engineering and leadership, gain mentorship and support from like-minded professionals, expand your perspectives, build relationships across the tech industry, and leave with practical prove strategies.

Join us this August 30-31 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco

For tickets, head to https://sfelc.com/annual2023

SHOW NOTES:

• The background behind Abi’s developer productivity research & why it matters (2:50)
• The evolution of measuring developer productivity (5:50)
• Moving beyond output metrics to DORA (and how that fell short of solving engineering measurement problems) (7:43)
• Challenges, drawbacks, and limitations to current measurement approaches (like DORA & SPACE) (11:51)
• What is the SPACE framework & how it manifests in eng orgs (15:14)
• Distinction between measuring the notion of productivity vs. focusing on measurements that improve productivity (17:07)
• Overview of Abi’s new DevEx framework & examples of it in use (19:52)
• Recommendations for frontline managers, ICs, engineers, etc. to apply the DevEx framework (22:26)
• How DevEx uncovers blind spots (like requirements quality) (24:21)
• When engineering orgs should consider separating out productivity (27:44)
• Strategies for broad-scope leaders to apply the DevEx framework (29:21)
• Using local teams to address specific DevEx issues (31:30)
• Why the VP of Eng / org leadership’s values drive developer experience (33:00)
• Tips for implementing the DevEx framework as a startup vs. mature company (35:06)
• How Abi is incorporating DevEx strategies into his own company @ DX (37:47)
• What positive developer experience looks like within an eng team (39:35)
• The most important step a team w/o a DevEx team can take (41:29)
• Rapid fire questions (43:17)

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Abi’s new DevEx whitepaper - “DevEx: What Actually Drives Productivity” by Abi Noda, DX, Margaret-Anne Storey, University of Victoria, Nicole Forsgren, Microsoft Research, Michaela Greiler, DX
• Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It - Obviously Awesome goes beyond teaching you what positioning is and why you should care. It gives you a step-by-step process that any startup can follow to position their product, service or company. This book will teach you how to find your product’s “secret sauce” and then sell that sauce to those who crave it.
• Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - The first book to deal with the problems of communicating to a skeptical, media-blitzed public, Positioning describes a revolutionary approach to creating a "position" in a prospective customer's mind-one that reflects a company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors.

This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:

Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host

Jerry Li - Co-Host

Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/

Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/

Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/