4.7. You Cannot Improve What You Do Not Understand
Development productivity depends on how fast the person can create new algorithms and represent them in the code (and eliminate poor or unneeded code). How fast the person can do this is a function of how well he or she understands correlations inside the code.
That is a crucial element of productivity: understanding the code.
Understanding of the code influences the number of lines of code a person can work with reasonably. That is why the LOC per head is so critical. The higher this number is, the more code each person understands, and the faster the application can evolve.
LOC per head is a single number: easily calculated, easily understood. And from what I have seen, this number never lies. It is an effective measure regardless of whether the LOC includes comments, and it applies equally well whether code is in maintenance or development phase. It is not perfect, but it is a reliable measure of productivity.
So, how do you increase the LOC per head?
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