PRODUCTIVITY AND WORK MANAGEMENT METRICS BASED ON PSP FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING STUDENTS: CASE STUDY AT EAFIT UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The Personal Software Process (PSP) is widely used in the software industry, Systems Engineering, and related educational programs. Previous studies have shown that incorporating PSP into the curriculum improves students’ ability to estimate time and resources, as well as to effectively manage and control the software development process. This study aims to evaluate the impact of PSP implementation on first-semester Systems Engineering students at EAFIT University through productivity and work-management metrics, with the goal of improving their discipline, performance, and software development quality. The article presents a case study of PSP implementation in the Systems Engineering Seminar course, guided by a set of research questions. Each student records metrics such as lines of code per hour, development time per program, and number of defects detected. The findings indicate that the application of PSP and productivity metrics can significantly improve students’ discipline and performance, enabling more accurate progress tracking and more effective work management. This article provides valuable insights for Systems Engineering educators and students interested in adopting software development best practices, improving work management, and enhancing the quality of the software products they develop.