Beyond Traditional Metrics: Toward a Multifactorial Model for Measuring Productivity in Agile Software Teams

Abstract

Measuring productivity in software development teams is a key process for evaluating their performance in agile environments, which are characterized by value creation, continuous adaptation, and incremental improvement. However, in the field of software engineering, although there are approaches focused on individual metrics, there remains a gap in the development of multifactorial models that integrate the various dimensions influencing team productivity. In response to this issue, this study proposes a multifactorial conceptual model designed to support the process of measuring productivity in agile teams. The development of the model was based on the measurement protocol proposed by Fenton and Bieman and included two main stages: design and validation. During the design phase, productivity factors were identified, and entities, properties, and empirical relationships were defined; these were represented using a Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagram. The model was validated through expert judgment and an exploratory empirical application in higher education settings. The results demonstrate a high level of acceptance by experts, as well as the model’s viability for application in real-world scenarios, enabling the operationalization of the productivity construct in Scrum teams. In conclusion, the proposed model constitutes a significant advance in measuring productivity in agile teams by integrating multiple dimensions of performance, offering a structured, validated, and applicable framework that overcomes the limitations of traditional approaches and contributes to both the academic realm and professional practice.