Trade-offs between productivity and quality in selecting software development practices
Alan MacCormack, Chris F. Kemerer, Michael A. Cusumano, Beth W. Crandall · IEEE Software · 2003
The authors report detailed data and analyses on productivity and quality from 29 Hewlett-Packard projects. While some software development models' characteristics affect performance negatively when considered alone, their impact disappears when considered in combination with other attributes. So, processes should be thought of as coherent systems of activities rather than as a series of individual practices that can be implemented piecemeal.