A software development project is sometimes a difficult thing to track in terms of meeting specific quantifiable goals. While business and project owners would undoubtedly say that they want to reach these goals, they fail to implement the necessary metrics into the software development process. Instead, the development process runs its course and the project may be completed but often at the cost of poor quality and many missed deadlines.
Why Use Software Development Metrics?
Software metrics are game-changers for both a software development company (such as BairesDev) and clients alike. Metrics empower teams with the ability to make the most efficient choices based on objective data instead of their own personal feelings. Metrics are similar to measurements but are more complex and require different measurements themselves.
In the software development process itself, metrics represent a set of quantifiable parameters and measurements that help teams track a variety of aspects during development. Not only do these metrics track overall team performance, but they also help determine the delivery speed, assess the accuracy of the product when compared to the initial requirements and expectations, define the amount of time spent in each phase of the process, and help teams refine their processes by pointing out areas with room for improvement.
Although the benefits of using software development metrics may be obvious to some, many managers and business owners believe that they are somewhat unnecessary if the projects are being completed to the client’s liking and delivered on time.
The Top Metrics to Monitor
There are many different metrics to monitor depending on the goals and key points of value for a team. It is important to note that these metrics are not used as a checklist for success. Instead, they are most helpful when used as indicators of areas that have room for improvement so that teams can become as efficient and strong as possible.
Below are just a few examples of the top metrics to monitor throughout the software development process:
- Lead Time – Lead time is a fairly straightforward metric as it measures how long it takes for a team to go from the inception of a project or simply having an idea to the completed, delivered software products. Teams need to strive to have the most reduced lead time as possible. This is often accomplished by ensuring that there are no extended periods of decision-making and reducing wait times for feedback. Lead time includes cycle time.
- Cycle Time – An Agile process metric, cycle time is the amount of time it takes from a starting point to an endpoint. In software development, this measures how long it takes for a team to make a change to the software system at-hand and deliver that change into production. Teams who choose to use a continuous software development cycle may measure their cycle times in smaller periods measured down to the hours or minutes while allowing for independent timeframes for coding, testing, and deployment. This continuous cycle allows for relatively easy adaptability when changes are required after feedback.
- A small cycle time means that the team is fairly nimble in its ability to adjust throughout the process. Larger cycle times can indicate that there are hang-ups during the cycle that are preventing the meeting of goals because of a variety of different factors. These factors commonly include the time it takes for the reviewing of code or approval during the testing phase of the Software Development Life Cycle. Visibility into cycle times can help shine a spotlight on the most inefficient parts of the process so that teams can make adjustments to become as efficient as possible.
- Team Velocity – Velocity is the term used to refer to the amount of work a team can deliver on average during a given timeframe. Velocity is a metric that is most helpful when a team wants to know how much they are capable of delivering. This can help quite a bit when it comes to estimating timelines in the future, managing client expectations, and knowing how much a team can actually handle.
- Operational and Production Metrics – Mean time between failures (MTBF) and mean time to recover/repair (MTTR) are two important overall measures of the software system’s performance in a current production environment. These metrics are fairly specific in that they reflect the value delivered and how much it cost to fix any failures throughout the process.
- Security Metrics – Security is sometimes an overlooked area of development until it’s too late and a breach occurs. However, the use of two metrics can help teams gain insight into this. The measure of endpoint incidents, or how many specific devices, workstations, and computers experienced an infection over a specific period of time can help developers know the location of the vulnerabilities.
- The mean time to repair (MTTR) is another helpful metric as it measures the time between the discovery of a breach and the deployment of its fix. Both of these metrics should be as small of a number as possible for all teams. As a team is able to reduce their MTTR, it means that they are becoming more effective and efficient in the understanding and management of security issues.
These are not all of the metrics for a team to track throughout the process of software development nor are they the most granular or technical. However, they can make a big difference for teams in their future projects and help businesses be as successful and efficient as possible.