DevOps metrics: what to measure and how
The DevOps metrics that matter: DORA's delivery and stability metrics, flow metrics and quality signals, with tips to measure them without gaming them.
2 min read
DORA metrics
The DevOps Research and Assessment program (DORA) found that a small set of metrics predicts software delivery performance. They balance speed and stability, so improving one at the expense of the other shows up immediately.
| Metric | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Deployment frequency | How often changes reach production |
| Lead time for changes | Time from commit to running in production |
| Change failure rate | Share of deployments that cause a failure in production |
| Time to restore service | How fast service recovers after a failure; recent DORA reports call it failed deployment recovery time |
Flow metrics
- Cycle time: from the start of the work to done.
- Work in progress: how many items are open at once.
- Throughput: items finished per week.
- Time in state: where work waits.
Quality and predictability
- Test pass rate before release.
- Rework: changes sent back to a previous phase.
- Escaped defects found in production.
- On-time delivery against committed dates.
How to measure without gaming
- Measure teams and systems, never individuals.
- Collect metrics from the tools, not from manual reports.
- Look at trends, not single numbers.
- Pair every speed metric with a stability metric.
How DevGob helps
DevGob calculates deployment success rate, cycle time from development to production, test pass rate, on-time delivery, rework and flow from its own records.
Read it in the documentationFrequently asked questions
What are the four DORA metrics?
Deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate and time to restore service.
What is a good deployment frequency?
It depends on the product; the best performers in DORA's research deploy on demand, several times a day. The trend matters more than the absolute number.
Should metrics be used to evaluate people?
No. Applied to individuals, metrics get gamed and stop telling the truth.
Keep reading
DevOps with governance, on one record
DevGob plans the work and governs every change on its way to production: backlog, sprints, committee authorizations, install evidence and an audit trail.