Flow development tools and metrics are the latest in a long line of approaches designed to control and improve software development productivity and the overall quality of software produced. While there are many claims regarding the value of flow to control development activity, there is a lack of rigorous research on this topic. In this study, we use control theory as a lens to explore how flow tools and metrics are used to enact both formal and informal control modes. This qualitative study draws on a cross-case analysis of two multinationals located in Ireland that involved interviews with five software development teams distributed across Ireland, India, and the US. The findings reveal that both managers and project teams try to conduct business as usual in order to maintain their control status. This study contributes four key challenges on the use of flow tools, evidence-based recommendations on how to effectively implement flow, and a research agenda for future researchers. While the findings are within the context of flow-based software development projects, the lessons learned can be generalised to other software development contexts.

流开发工具和度量标准是用于控制和提高软件开发生产率以及所生产软件的整体质量的一长串方法中的最新方法。尽管有许多关于控制开发活动的流程价值的主张，但对此主题缺乏严格的研究。在本研究中，我们以控制理论为视角来探讨如何使用流量工具和度量标准来制定正式和非正式的控制模式。这项定性研究基于对位于爱尔兰的两家跨国公司的跨案例分析，涉及对分布在爱尔兰，印度和美国的五个软件开发团队的采访。调查结果表明，经理和项目团队都试图照常开展业务，以保持控制状态。这项研究对使用流量工具提出了四个关键挑战，关于如何有效实施流量的基于证据的建议，以及未来研究人员的研究议程。虽然这些发现在基于流程的软件开发项目的上下文中，但是可以将汲取的经验教训推广到其他软件开发上下文中。