What is Time to Productivity?
Definition
Time to productivity (TTP): The duration from a developer's first day on a team to when they can independently contribute meaningful work without significant guidance.
Also called: time to value, ramp-up time, time to contribution
Quick Answer
Time to productivity measures how long it takes a new developer to become a net-positive contributor. Industry average: 3-6 months for full productivity, though meaningful contributions typically start within 4-8 weeks.
How to Measure Time to Productivity
Common Metrics
| Metric | Definition | Typical Target |
|---|---|---|
| Time to First Commit | Days until first merged PR | Under 5 days |
| Time to First Feature | Days until shipping a feature | Under 30 days |
| Time to Independent Work | Weeks until working without handholding | 4-8 weeks |
| Time to Full Productivity | Months until matching team average | 3-6 months |
Milestone-Based Measurement
| Milestone | Description |
|---|---|
| Setup Complete | Environment working, can run tests |
| First Contribution | First PR merged (any size) |
| Solo Feature | Shipped a feature without pairing |
| Full Velocity | Consistently matches team throughput |
Time to Productivity Benchmarks
By Role Level
| Level | Time to First Feature | Time to Full Productivity |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | 4-6 weeks | 6-9 months |
| Mid-level | 2-4 weeks | 3-6 months |
| Senior | 1-2 weeks | 2-4 months |
| Staff+ | 2-3 weeks | 3-5 months |
Note: Staff+ roles may take longer due to broader scope, not technical complexity.
By Context
| Scenario | Average TTP |
|---|---|
| New job, familiar tech | 3-4 months |
| New job, new tech stack | 6-9 months |
| Internal transfer | 1-2 months |
| New codebase, same team | 2-4 weeks |
Factors That Affect Time to Productivity
Makes It Faster
- Clear documentation
- Assigned onboarding buddy
- Well-structured codebase
- Strong testing culture
- AI-powered tools like Ramp
- Low technical debt
Makes It Slower
- Poor or missing documentation
- Complex legacy systems
- High tribal knowledge
- Remote onboarding
- Unclear expectations
- Siloed teams
Why Time to Productivity Matters
Financial Impact
Every month of slow ramp-up costs:
- Reduced output from new hire
- Senior engineer time spent helping
- Delayed project timelines
- Opportunity cost
Example calculation:
- Developer salary: $150,000/year = $12,500/month
- At 50% productivity for 4 months = $25,000 lost productivity
- Reduce to 2 months = $12,500 saved per hire
Team Impact
Long TTP means:
- Senior engineers distracted by questions
- Slower feature delivery
- Lower team morale
- Higher turnover risk
How Google Measured It
Google's research found:
- Developers who ship by Day 5 have 95% retention at 18 months
- Remote onboarding adds 3-6 weeks to TTP
- Strong onboarding predicts long-term performance
How to Reduce Time to Productivity
For Organizations
- Invest in documentation — Architecture docs, onboarding guides, FAQs
- Assign onboarding buddies — A go-to person for questions
- Create small starter tasks — Low-risk ways to learn the workflow
- Set clear expectations — What does "ramped up" mean?
- Use AI tools — Ramp reduces TTP by up to 50%
For Individuals
- Ask questions early — Don't waste time being stuck
- Focus on the critical path — Learn the most important systems first
- Ship fast — Learning by doing beats reading
- Take notes — Build a personal knowledge base
- Use The RAMP Method — Structured approach to ramping up
How Ramp Reduces Time to Productivity
Ramp directly targets the biggest time sinks in TTP:
| Traditional | With Ramp |
|---|---|
| Wait for senior to be free | Ask questions instantly |
| Search docs for 20 min | Get answers in 30 sec |
| Guess and break things | Understand before changing |
| Fear of "dumb" questions | No social friction |
# Start ramping up immediately
npm install -g @anthropic/ramp
ramp init
ramp voice
Related Definitions
Related Guides
Want to reduce your team's time to productivity? Try Ramp free →