Seven Metrics every Technical Lead needs to track performance

[#1]

A technical lead is an experienced software developer with a deep understanding of technology and the capacity to lead a team of software engineers and technicians.

Technical leads should have strong technical skills such as programming, security, computer engineering, software development skills, and leadership skills such as guiding, motivating, and ensuring productivity. In addition to good communication skills, be it written or verbal. Good communication skills provide a proper understanding of responsibilities and set clear instructions and expectations. And last, a technical lead is a multitasker and should have the ability to lead several projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and improve decision-making and organizational skills.

The technical lead has a challenging position; there are so many responsibilities on the technical and management level. However, focusing on the right objectives and bringing measurable metrics to ensure constant improvements to the process and production environment is the best way to ensure success. 

Below are the seven metrics essential to the success of a technical lead.

Agile Process Metrics

Four Agile process metrics help technical leaders to plan and make informed decisions about process improvement:

• Lead time: this metric measures how long it takes from an idea to a delivered software

• Cycle time: this metric measures how long it takes to change the software system and deliver that change into production

• Team velocity: this metric measures how many sprints of software the team typically completes in an iteration

• Open/close rates: this metric measures how many production issues are reported and closed within a specific period

Production analytics

Three critical metrics that measure the overall software system’s performance in its current production environment that every tech lead should track are:

• Meantime between failures (MTBF): this metric measures the time between failures for devices that need to be repaired

• Meantime to recover/repair (MTTR): this metric measures its time to repair those failed devices

• Application crash rate: this metric measures how many times an application fails divided by how many times it was used. This metric is related to MTBF and MTTR

Using the proper reporting and charting tools is also part of the success formula for every tech lead. The right tool saves time and reduces the margin of error in reporting, especially when using Jira Software. 

[Taranjeet Singh]

Thanks for sharing this article and insights about critical metrics for a Tech Lead, @Andreas Springer _Actonic_ ! Very informative and useful, indeed!

I was wondering what is the difference between "Lead Time" and "Cycle Time" with respect to Agile process for software development. I always find them confusing. Do you have a way to define/describe each of them in a simple way for others to understand (probably, with an example) and remember?

[Yuliia_Borivets__SaaSJet_]

Hi @Taranjeet Singh 

Cycle time is the time from the beginning to the end of a certain action. It is the time during which the issue is marked as "In progress". The statuses used to calculate cycle time depend on the workflow you're using for your project.

Lead time covers a longer period of time: from receiving a request for an action (not when work begins) to the moment this action is completed, including the time in the queue.

[Definitions from the article 3 tools to analyze Cycle and Lead Time in the Jira]

This example has helped me to understand the difference:

[Taranjeet Singh]

Thank you for the clarification, @Yuliia_Borivets__SaaSJet_ ! This is simple and helpful!

[Yuliia_Borivets__SaaSJet_]

@Taranjeet Singh Glad to help!

[Darryl Lee]

Thanks for sharing this!

[Paulo Roberto Fregatti]

Dear all!

I´ve been working as a Scrum Master for over 5 years and I´d like to know which are the latest BI plugins that can generate Agile Metrics such as Throughput, CFD, Leadtime and CycleTime in real time for all levels. I mean Strategic, Tactical and Operational. Currently I´m using Reports in JIRA Cloud ''company-managed project'', Nimble Metrics and sometimes Quantify My Work as well.

In addition to these, what are the best graphics/dashboards to increasingly support the product team?

Thanks in advance

[Gizem Gökçe _OBSS_]

Hello @Paulo Roberto Fregatti ,

I can recommend Timepiece (formerly Time in Status) ,the oldest and leading "Time in Status" app in Atlassian Marketplace which is developed by my team at OBSS.  Our app is available for both Jira Cloud, and Data Center. Timepiece reports can be accessed through its own reporting page, dashboard gadgets, and issue view screen tabs. All these options can provide both calculated data tables and charts.

Please refer to my latest article on metric calculations, which also provides a reference to our app and instructions on how to use it.

Revealing Operational Excellence: Identifying Bottlenecks through Metrics like Cycle Time, Lead Time

If you wish, you can schedule a live demo. We will provide a comprehensive overview of the application and address any inquiries you may have.

Hope it helps,

Gizem

[Amay Purohit_RVS]

Hi @Paulo Roberto Fregatti 

You can try out our app, 

Time in Status Reports , the ultimate tool for seamless project management.
With our app, you can effortlessly track and visualize how much time your tasks spend in each status, gaining invaluable insights into bottlenecks, efficiency, and team performance.

And generate reports such as:

- time in status for Jira issues

- Time with Assignee 

- average time issue has been spent in each state

- Status transition details 

- transition and status count for each issue

- Group your statuses to define your own Cycle/Lead times

More details here

The app is free for 10 users. Do try it out.

Disclaimer : I work for RVS, the vendor for this app

[Mehmet A _Bloompeak_]

Hi @Paulo Roberto Fregatti

I have two recommendations for you.

1. You can try Status Time Reports app developed by our team. It mainly provides reports and gadgets based on how much time passed in each status. Here is the online demo link, you can see it in action and try without installing the app.

For cycle time & lead time, you can have a look at the article below.
Cycle Time and Lead Time in Jira: Productivity Measurement with Two Critical Parameters

 For further details, you can have a look at Status Time Reports How to Videos.

If you are looking for a completely  free solution, you can try the limited version Status Time Reports Free.

2. You can try Reports - Charts and Graphs for Jira Dashboard app developed by our team to create various reports, charts and graphs for your Jira projects. Here is our live demo dashboard where you can see and modify sample reports and play with them.

Below you can see an article about creating custom reports, charts and graphs in Jira with our app.
How to Create Custom and Flexible Reports, Charts and Graphs in Jira

For more detail, you can have a look at Reports - Charts and Graphs for Jira How to Videos.

If you are looking for a completely free solution, you can try the limited version Reports - Charts and Graphs for Jira Dashboard Free.

If you have any questions, feel free to schedule a demo with us.

Hope it helps.

[Valeriia_Havrylenko_SaaSJet]

Hi @Paulo Roberto Fregatti  👋

Time in Status stands out with its superior graphics/dashboards, unique features, and unparalleled support, in my opinion. 

With our add-on, you have the power to tailor your team's work schedule, ensuring that the calculation is based solely on productive working hours.

For more in-depth data analysis, you can create reports as pivots. For example, you can look at the percentage of time spent in different statuses.

Dashboards gadgets feature will keep your finger on the pulse and track team productivity in real-time.

For Scrum teams we are also offering Sprint Report feature in Time in Status 

Add-on have 30-day free trial, free up to the 10 users and developed by my team. 

I hope you find this helpful 🚀