# Metrics that Matter for Engineering Leaders | LinearB Blog

> I recently had the chance to speak at the Engineering Leadership Speaker Series on the metrics that engineering leaders can use to drive improvement in their organizations.

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Metrics that Matter for Engineering Leaders

# Metrics that Matter for Engineering Leaders

![Photo of Dan Lines](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_2560/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Dan_Lines_3fb5152de2?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

By [Dan Lines](https://linearb.io/blog/metrics-that-matter-engineering-leaders#dan-lines)

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November 11, 2019

![Metrics_that_Matter_Cover_8eaa877d74](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_2560/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Metrics_that_Matter_Cover_8eaa877d74?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

I recently had the chance to speak at the [Engineering Leadership Speaker Series](https://www.meetup.com/SF-Engineering-Leadership-Speaker-Series/) on the software metrics that engineering leaders can use to drive improvement in their organizations. (Thanks to the folks from [Skipcard](https://www.skipcard.com/o/the-bay-area-engineering-leadership-speaker-series) for including me).

As a VP of Engineering at Cloudlock, I scaled my engineering team to 75+ upon acquisition. As my team grew, I struggled to maintain visibility into what was happening day-to-day and how to help my team improve.

Since then, I have dedicated myself to understand what metrics engineering leaders can use to help their teams improve delivery, optimize their investment profile, drive enhanced quality, and more.

**Delivery Pipeline Metrics**

The [delivery pipeline](https://linearb.io/blog/how-to-measure-your-software-delivery-pipeline/) tracks phases from “work requested” to production release. Enhanced performance here improves predictability, time to value, work efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Key delivery pipeline metrics include: _**Lead Time, Cycle Time,**_ [_**Time to Merge,**_](https://linearb.io/blog/critical-metrics-time-to-merge/) _**Time to Release, and Release Frequency.**_

**Investment Profile Metrics**

Investment profile answers the question of where your team spends their time. Having a balanced [investment profile](https://linearb.io/blog/two-data-points-the-vp-of-engineering-should-show-the-ceo-every-week/) ensures your team delivers new value in addition to completing non-functional work that enhances uptime and reliability.

Key investment profile metrics include: _**Story to Bug Ratio, Story to Non-functional Ratio, and Customer Commitment Percentage.**_

**Quality Metrics**

Quality has many definitions, but the one I like relates closest to efficiency. Ensuring that [quality code is delivered proactively](https://linearb.io/blog/how-to-improve-your-code-quality-metrics/) reduces rework and keeps the team operating efficiently.

Key quality metrics include: _**Code Rework, Bugs Found in Production, and**_ [_**Mean Time to Restore**_ _**(MTTR)**_](https://linearb.io/blog/all-you-should-know-about-mean-time-to-restore/)_**.**_

[Download the slides](https://assets.linearb.io/uploads/Metrics-that-Matter-for-Eng-Leaders.pdf) to learn more about these metrics and how to apply them to improve your organization.

[Download the Slides](https://assets.linearb.io/uploads/Metrics-that-Matter-for-Eng-Leaders.pdf)

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