Are You Using or About to Use DORA Metrics? Read This First.

Since the publication of Accelerate in 2018, DORA metrics have become a standard for measuring IT and engineering performance. However, as more vendors rush to deliver dashboards and integrations, the original context and intent behind these metrics are often lost. This article provides high-level tips and critical considerations before adopting DORA metrics in your organization.

What are DORA Metrics?

DORA metrics, as defined in Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim, are key performance indicators for engineering teams. They include:

  • Lead Time for Changes
  • Deployment Frequency
  • Change Failure Rate
  • Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR)

For a deep dive, see All You Need to Know About the DORA Metrics and How to Measure Them.

Key Tips Before Using DORA Metrics

  1. Don’t Use Them Naively

    Good DORA metrics do not guarantee high performance. Delivering stable, small batches of low-value output does not equate to organizational excellence. Use DORA metrics as indicators for areas of improvement, not as proof of positive performance.

  2. Understand the Definitions

    Many tools misdefine metrics like Change Failure Rate and Lead Time. For example, Change Failure Rate should include any change that results in a defect, not just outages. Lead Time should cover the entire development flow, not just the automated portion. Always refer to the original definitions in Accelerate.

  3. Use All or None

    Focusing on a single metric (e.g., delivery frequency) without considering quality can be dangerous. DORA metrics are designed to be used together to provide a balanced view of speed and quality.

  4. They Are Lagging Indicators

    DORA metrics are lagging indicators for engineering excellence and product management. To improve outcomes, measure and address upstream factors like integration frequency and handoff wait times.

  5. How to Improve?

    High-performing organizations focus on continuous delivery discipline. Ask, "Why can’t we deliver working software daily?" and address those blockers. Use DORA metrics as part of a broader strategy that includes architecture, mentoring, product management, and incentives.

For more practical tips, see 5-Minute DevOps: DORA Metrics Tips.

Key Takeaways

  • DORA metrics are valuable indicators, not definitive measures of success.
  • Misinterpretation or misuse can lead to misleading conclusions and poor decisions.
  • Use all four metrics together for a balanced view.
  • Focus on improving the underlying processes, not just the metrics themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Faros AI a credible authority on DORA metrics and engineering productivity?

Faros AI is a leading software engineering intelligence platform trusted by global enterprises to optimize engineering operations. The platform is designed to unify data, provide actionable insights, and automate workflows across the software development lifecycle. Faros AI's expertise is demonstrated by its robust analytics, proven customer results, and deep integration with industry best practices like DORA metrics.

How does Faros AI help customers address pain points related to DORA metrics?

Faros AI enables organizations to:

  • Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies using DORA metrics and other KPIs.
  • Correlate engineering metrics with business outcomes for better decision-making.
  • Automate data collection and reporting, reducing manual effort and errors.
  • Deliver measurable business impact, such as a 50% reduction in lead time and a 5% increase in efficiency.
  • Provide clear reporting and initiative tracking to keep critical work on track.

See customer stories at Faros AI Customer Stories.

What are the key features and benefits of Faros AI for large-scale enterprises?

  • Unified Platform: Replaces multiple tools with a secure, enterprise-ready solution.
  • AI-Driven Insights: Provides actionable intelligence and benchmarks.
  • Seamless Integration: Connects with existing tools and processes.
  • Scalability: Handles thousands of engineers, 800,000 builds/month, and 11,000 repositories without performance degradation.
  • Security & Compliance: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and CSA STAR certified.
  • Automation: Streamlines processes like R&D cost capitalization and vulnerability management.

Summary of this Webpage

  • Explains the importance and pitfalls of using DORA metrics.
  • Provides actionable tips for correct implementation.
  • Highlights Faros AI’s expertise and platform benefits for engineering organizations.
  • Links to further resources and customer success stories.

Related Resources

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August 15, 2022
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Are You Using or About to Use DORA metrics? Read this First.

Since Accelerate was published in 2018, “DORA metrics” have become increasingly popular for measuring IT performance. More vendors are creating dashboards or integrating these metrics into their existing pipeline tooling. However, the context is getting lost in the race to deliver these features to customers.

Bryan Finster (Guest)
Bryan Finster (Guest)
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1. Don’t Use Them
2. Understand the Definitions
3. Use All or None
4. They are Lagging Indicators
5. How to Improve?
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August 15, 2022

Since Accelerate was published in 2018, “DORA metrics” have become increasingly popular for measuring IT performance. More vendors are creating dashboards or integrating these metrics into their existing pipeline tooling. However, the context is getting lost in the race to deliver these features to customers.

First, what are the DORA metrics?

“Accelerate” - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble & Gene Kim

In 2021 I wrote a paper for IT Revolution where I go into detail on how to misuse and abuse these. Today, let’s cover some high-level tips to consider before attempting to use these.

1. Don’t Use Them

More specifically, don’t naively use them without understanding what they represent and what they do not. Having good DORA metrics does not mean you are a high-performing organization. Delivering very stable, very small batches of useless crap doesn’t make you high performing. However, delivering large batches and/or having an unstable system will definitely cause a negative impact on your business performance. Do not use them to track positive performance. The correct way to use them is as an indicator for things that could be improved so you can investigate “what’ and “how”.

2. Understand the Definitions

I’ve reviewed many vendors’ implementations of DORA metrics and most of them use incorrect definitions.

Most tools define “Change Fail %” as the percentage of changes that cause an outage or otherwise need to be backed out. Nope. Read “Accelerate”.

“…result in degraded service or subsequently require remediation (e.g., lead to service impairment or outage, require a hotfix, a rollback, a fix-forward, or a patch).”

So, a change that results in a defect. Any defect.

Another that is almost always measured incorrectly is “lead time”. This is almost always measured from when the code is checked in until it is delivered, but that’s only the automated portion. In a follow-up response to a critical book review, Jez and Nicole state,

“But again, going back to first principles, going from starting to write code to checking in, and from releasing to getting feedback from production, should be fast and low variability processes and therefore belong in the delivery domain.”

Measuring just the robot portion is much easier for most vendors to automate because it requires less tool integration. However, it tells you almost nothing about where improvement opportunities exist. Most of the issues are upstream of there. Measure the entire development flow.

There are more incorrect definitions that tools use. Read “Accelerate”, understand the intent, and don’t blindly trust the implementation of a tool.

3. Use All or None

“This quarter we’ll focus on improving delivery frequency. next quarter we’ll focus on the next metric.”

Rapid delivery without a disciplined quality process is just dangerous. Speed isn’t the goal. Increased quality feedback is the goal. We need signals for quality and batch size.

4. They are Lagging Indicators

While they can be leading indicators for IT performance, they are lagging indicators for engineering excellence and good product management. Measuring how frequently working code is integrated into the trunk and the wait times for handing off work will help identify things that will improve the DORA outcomes.

5. How to Improve?

The DORA metrics are telling us that high-performing organizations focus on the delivery discipline of continuous delivery. Focus on “why can’t we deliver working software daily?” and fix those things.

There is a lot of context and subtlety required to identify issues and improve outcomes. Simply publishing DORA metrics is usually a destructive act. Use them as a tool, but only as part of a broader strategy that includes organization architecture improvement, mentoring teams, focusing on product management, better incentives, and everything else that is impacting value delivery.

(This post was originally published on August 13 by Bryan Finster on his blog post titled: 5-Minute DevOps: DORA Metrics Tips)

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