In late October 2025, a new Dutch Practice Guideline was introduced: NPR 5333.
This guideline focuses on agile software development and maintenance, specifically on output-based measurement, performance management, and contracting.
Thinkwise, together with 35 other organizations, actively contributed to the creation of this guideline. It marks an important step toward greater predictability, quality, and transparency in Agile software development.
Developed under the supervision of the Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN), NPR 5333 provides a widely supported and objective foundation for measuring and improving Agile software development.
Why this guideline was developed
Agile software development offers speed, flexibility, and a shorter time-to-market. In practice, however, many organizations encounter the same challenges:
- insufficient insight into what teams actually deliver
- limited predictability of costs and lead times
- lack of clarity when defining performance expectations
- difficulty comparing teams or suppliers
- uncertainty around quality and collaboration
NPR 5333 addresses these issues by offering a clear and consistent reference framework.
The guideline uses international standards to make Agile team performance measurable, comparable, and manageable.
What Is NPR 5333?
NPR 5333 is a guideline that helps organizations measure software development performance and output based on factual, standardized criteria.
What NPR 5333 Measures
The guideline introduces four central measurement categories:
1. Speed
Metrics such as delivery speed, velocity, productivity, load, and flow predictability provide insight into progress and reliability.
2. Cost
Measurements based on output rates and function point analysis using standardized methods make costs more transparent and technology-independent.
3. Quality
Standardized assessments provide visibility into maintainability, reliability, performance, and security.
4. Satisfaction
Stakeholder, user, and team satisfaction are measured using established metrics and are essential for long-term performance.
Collectively, these categories provide a far more complete and objective picture of the actual output and performance of Agile teams.
Why Thinkwise Supports This Guideline
For Thinkwise, NPR 5333 aligns seamlessly with our way of working.
Within our TOA approach (Transform, Optimize, Accelerate) measuring productivity, quality, and performance is essential:
- Transform starts with insight: NPR 5333 provides an objective framework to assess existing environments, including application size and structure.
- Optimize requires control: continuous measurements make the development process transparent and easier to manage.
- Accelerate becomes faster through predictability: output-driven development makes planning, scaling, and collaboration simpler.
NPR 5333 reinforces what many organizations experience in practice: modern software development requires transparency, clear expectations, and measurable agreements.
The guideline is therefore a valuable addition to our work and to the broader IT landscape.
Want to learn more about our approach and how it can support your development process? We’re happy to think along.
