

Killing Productivity by Measurement - tathagata
http://blogaborty.blogspot.in/2013/05/killing-productivity-by-measurement.html

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sergiosgc
On the other hand, you can't manage what you can't measure. Rather than simply
bashing productivity measurement, I'd be very interested in seeing a good
discussion on non-intrusive productivity measurement.

If there's a community where this can produce nice results, it's HN.

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noneTheHacker
Is there a way to maybe not worry about productivity measurements? While in
school, I didn't need to know how productive I was, I just needed to get stuff
done. I either did or I didn't. I was given what was thought as manageable
amounts of work but for some, it was too much and for others it wasn't enough.

In work, if I am given what is considered the next most important thing, what
will those measurement tools get us? Maybe, at best, an idea if we want more
people on the project but those projections can be rudimentary at best.
Couldn't we just eyeball it and come to similar conclusions?

Productivity measurement reminds me of stock market analysis. Previous
performance isn't indicative of future success. Projects are generally
different enough that each one will have new challenges to figure out and
learn.

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hammock
I don't get it. In my experience, the mere act of measurement is not supposed
to increase productivity per se; it is supposed to help you diagnose the
problem, implement a solution and determine the success thereof.

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np422
My translation from political correct English would be that it is supposed to
cover up for lack of real leadership skills?

If the staff doesn't have the knowledge/tools required and/or the work morale
that is needed to be productive and get the job done I really don't think that
micromanagement is the proper solution.

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sageikosa
Measuring productivity for comparison requires the tasks under observation to
be comparable. This may be good for laying bricks or bailing hay, but it is
terrible for designing solutions to problems requiring the problem to be
defined as part of the task (except in the very broadest sense to gauge the
effectiveness of the estimation process, not the "work" itself).

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Yhippa
In almost every real-world application of this measuring productivity is a
drag.

It's almost as if it's subject to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. In
this case with the tools you're using you're not getting an accurate reading
of productivity because typically the burden is on the subject to make the
readings and they will get annoyed at this intrusion into their day job.

So how do you measure tasks without being intrusive? Is it really possible?

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olegp
Does anyone know of any good blog posts or other resources on trying to
improve _team_ productivity by measurement?

At <https://starthq.com>, we are considering introducing a feature that would
let people see how much each web app is used within their team in an attempt
to increase their productivity, but much like the comic strip I wonder whether
that will do more harm than good.

