The tech industry has long struggled to manage software development effectively, and a major culprit is the outdated practice of time tracking. This relic of the Industrial Revolution, where factory workers were measured by their output, has been misapplied to software development, where tasks have indeterminate durations.

Forcing developers to track time spent on tasks leads to bad incentives, anxiety, and a focus on quick fixes over quality solutions. It's a flawed approach that neglects the unique nature of software development, where a single bug fix can take anywhere from minutes to weeks.

The pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, and with it, a growing recognition that the old ways of measuring productivity don't apply. Developers may spend hours staring at code, only to produce a elegant solution in a short burst of typing. Time tracking discourages this kind of problem-solving, instead promoting a "butts in chairs" mentality.

As the industry awakens to the limitations of time tracking, it's time to rethink how we measure productivity and success in software development. By acknowledging the differences between physical and digital products, we can create a more effective, efficient, and humane approach to managing software development.