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Can we measure developer productivity, and are we really seeing value from these metrics? How developers and their employers benefit depends on how productivity is assessed. Inputs (think: time invested) are pretty easy to measure but not very useful to measure productivity. “Classic” output measurements are pretty disastrous. Gauging work output based on lines of code or amount of pull requests is very similar to measuring a restaurant’s success by the amount of leftover food they have at the end of a night. Plus, most of these metrics can easily be manipulated by the developer. Measuring productivity is further complicated considering that software development is both an individual and team sport. Development velocity and agility are discussed as two productivity measures that have the potential to overcome these problems. Paired with developer empowerment, allowing developers to work on their own schedules, increased developer productivity is almost guaranteed.