Investigando a percepção de praticantes da Engenharia de Software sobre produtividade: uma análise com base na literatura cinza

Abstract

The increasing competitiveness in the software industry has pressured teams to improve performance and reduce production costs while adhering to increasingly tight deadlines. In this context, productivity emerges as a critical aspect for organizations seeking to understand and optimize this factor. This study investigated productivity challenges from the perspective of two communities on the Stack Exchange platform: Software Engineering and Product Manager. It explored the factors that generate these challenges, their impacts on professionals and their tasks, as well as the strategies suggested to mitigate these challenges. Through a gray literature review and qualitative analysis of discussions, 21 factors affecting productivity were identified, highlighting time management, the adoption of new standards and technologies, difficulties in measuring productivity, and context switching. These challenges reflect not only technical issues but also human aspects, such as demotivation and psychological pressure, showing that productivity cannot be understood in isolation. Furthermore, the study identified 17 direct impacts on professionals, including stress and perceived productivity variation. The strategies used by the communities included practical approaches, such as task reorganization, and reflective methods, such as perspective adaptation, demonstrating the flexibility of professionals in balancing technical and human aspects. Understanding these factors and strategies is essential to inform future research efforts and enhance the performance of software development teams.