SPACE is a multidimensional software engineering productivity measurement framework covering five dimensions that reflect developer productivity more comprehensively and objectively than traditional quantitative-only output-based measurements. In addition to traditional system-based KPIS, mainly designed for managers, SPACE aims to create better measures to understand engineering productivity for tech teams and organisations.
The five dimensions are:
- Satisfaction and well-being
- Performance
- Activity
- Communication and Collaboration
- Efficiency and flow
Metrics in each category alone often do not accurately reveal the complete picture of engineering productivity. For example, activity metrics could indicate that engineers work longer hours to hit deadlines or frantically fix countless bugs. They could also mean that the team is collaborating more and the system is conducive to more frequent code changes, reviews, and releases. The ambiguity can be eradicated more easily when paired with metrics from other dimensions.
References
- Getdx.com. (2021). DX. [online] Available at: https://getdx.com/blog/space-metrics/.