Every software engineering organization has the potential to become an elite software delivery team. But any VP of Engineering will tell you it takes more than sheer willpower to achieve a streamlined delivery engine. It takes a strong culture, experienced managers, and the right tools. 

Today, we are focusing on a new tool: Metrics Inspection. This new capability provides a 1-to-1 connection between a metric (or data point) and the actual work (branches/PRs) behind it. More importantly, it answers the most common questions we hear - “What’s going on right there?” 

Inspecting the Un-inspected: 3 Use Cases 

Being built by two former VPs of Engineering, LinearB is incredibly focused on actionability. 

“Metrics are great, but what do you actually do with them?” 

This is common feedback we hear from the manager line when they first see their team’s metrics. Fortunately, the answer is straightforward: a problem is a problem, even if you can’t see it. Having visibility into what is blocking your path to becoming an elite software delivery organization gives you the power to focus your efforts on the highest-impact work. 

1. Investigating Outliers 

The first stage of maturity in any metrics program is the “What’s going on right there?” stage. 

This stage is pretty well summed up by someone walking by any metrics dashboard for the very first time, seeing a spike in the graph and saying, “What’s going on right there?” 

Now, with Metrics Inspection at your fingertips, you are a metrics master. Faster than you can say, “Let’s take a look,” you’re able to uncover the culprit behind your delivery delays. 

2. Why is my XX Metric so high? 

The second stage of maturity in your engineering metrics program is to begin understanding where and why you have delivery bottlenecks. It’s only then that you’ll be able to apply focus (and automation) to streamline the flow of delivery. 

At their core, engineering metrics expose trends in team behavior and culture. Whether you’re just starting with LinearB today or a seasoned veteran of the platform, Metrics Inspection is the tool you’ll be using to understand precisely what’s going on when your favorite performance metric starts going awry. 

3. What is ruining my elite performance? 

The third and final maturity stage of your engineering metrics program is focused on one-off situations that skew your typically stable delivery metrics. This use case is for engineering leaders who take pride in their team’s performance data matching what they know in their heart - that we are elite. 

Whether you’re looking at an org, team, repo, service or custom initiative, Metrics Inspection is here to act like a set of guardrails against veering too far off your streamlined delivery path. With the ability to go from a quarterly trend overview down to a single day, you and your team will never be caught off guard again.

Final Words on Metrics Inspection 

This fantastic new feature is available in both the LinearB Free and LinearB Paid accounts.

For Free & Paid Users: Click here to play with your new tool.

For Non-LinearB Folks: Get your free account here. Setup takes <5 mins. 

We truly hope this new capability will drive you to take more focused action against delivery bottlenecks and reach the elite performance we know you can achieve.