If the 'some programmers can be often 10x more productive than their colleagues' statistic is interesting, then this one is too. The 10x probably refers to experienced developers on both sides of the equation; this statistic is more like 'talented beginner' vs 'talented and experienced expert.' It would be interesting to see other calculations like this. If you can work out exactly what makes someone 45x more productive then maybe you can hire/freelance more efficiently for individual tasks.
> If you can work out exactly what makes someone 45x more productive then maybe you can hire/freelance more efficiently for individual tasks.
You don't need a study to figure that out. When your project needs help in a specific area, just hire someone who is an expert in the area. No matter if that person is clever or even talented: As long as (s)he is clearly experienced in that field, (s)he will work a lot more efficiently than anyone else in your team.
And of course you should have someone in your present team working with him/her or at least reading and adapting her/his code, so you get more people of your team up to speed. Also, that way you'll notice timely in case the expert status isn't justified (i.e. in case the "expert" wasn't one).
