R0007/2026-03-19/C004/S01
WebSearch — Software engineering individual programmer variation Sackman through Oliveira
Summary
| Field |
Value |
| Source/Database |
WebSearch |
| Query terms |
Sackman 1968 programmer performance variation; Oliveira 2023 software developer productivity log-normal |
| Filters |
None |
| Results returned |
10 |
| Results selected |
3 |
| Results rejected |
7 |
Selected Results
| Result |
Title |
URL |
Rationale |
| S01-R01 |
Construx: Productivity Variations |
https://www.construx.com/blog/productivity-variations-among-software-developers-and-teams-the-origin-of-10x/ |
Comprehensive overview of Sackman and subsequent studies |
| S01-R02 |
SEI: Programmer Moneyball |
https://www.sei.cmu.edu/blog/programmer-moneyball-challenging-the-myth-of-individual-programmer-productivity/ |
Critical perspective on variation claims |
| S01-R03 |
Duarte de Oliveira et al. 2023 |
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950584923000691 |
The 2023 study with 2.44x ratio finding |
Rejected Results
| Result |
Title |
URL |
Rationale |
| S01-R04 |
O'Reilly Making Software |
https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/making-software/9780596808310/ |
Book chapter, not directly accessible |
| S01-R05 |
IEEE Xplore 1968 paper |
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4056505/ |
Original Sackman paper, behind paywall |
| S01-R06 |
NEU course notes |
https://course.ccs.neu.edu/cs5500f14/ |
Course materials, not primary |
| S01-R07 |
ResearchGate productivity paper |
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335535826 |
Different focus |
| S01-R08 |
Chris Parnin expertise paper |
http://chrisparnin.me/pdf/experts.pdf |
Tangential topic |
| S01-R09 |
Academia.edu variability paper |
https://www.academia.edu/17686833 |
Behind registration wall |
| S01-R10 |
10x productivity blog |
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/ |
Blog, not primary |
Notes
Multiple independent sources confirm the pattern of large individual variation. The 2023 study's 2.44x figure matches the claim's "roughly 2.4x."