Editing Research:Question-01-Factor-Performance-Correlation (section)

=== Factors with Strong Empirical Support ===

**Factor 6 (Communication & Collaboration) - Strongest Validation:**
The empirical evidence overwhelmingly supports communication and collaboration as primary predictors of developer success. With correlation coefficients ranging from r=0.35 to r=0.67 across multiple studies, and direct impacts on project failure rates (86% attribute failures to communication issues), this factor demonstrates the strongest empirical foundation in the literature.

**Factor 4 (Creative Problem-Solving) - Strong Empirical Basis:**
The "Happy developers solve problems better" study (n=42) provides direct empirical validation, while debugging expertise studies show clear expert-novice performance differentials based on problem-solving capabilities. Industry analysis consistently positions problem-solving as the fundamental developer skill, with technical tools being secondary.

**Factor 5 (Strategic Thinking) - Business Impact Validation:**
McKinsey research demonstrating 1.5x higher Developer Velocity Index scores for organizations with strong strategic thinking capabilities provides quantitative validation. The correlation between strategic skills and business outcomes is well-established, particularly for senior developers and Staff+ engineers.

**Factor 7 (Domain Expertise) - Market-Validated Importance:**
LinkedIn data showing 90% of 2022 job postings prioritizing domain expertise, combined with measurable career advancement correlations, provides strong market validation. The specialist premium and industry-specific value creation demonstrate clear performance correlations.