# Engineering Leader's Guide to Resource Allocation

> Accurately forecast project delivery, proactively surface delay risks, & make informed recommendations to the business on projects to prioritize with LinearB.

_This is a markdown rendering of a live HTML page on linearb.io, generated for AI/LLM consumption — it is not a markdown-only site. To get the full HTML page instead, request this URL with an explicit `Accept: text/html` header (no wildcard, no markdown preference)._

[Resource Center](https://linearb.io/resources)

# Engineering Leader's Guide to Resource Allocation

![Engineering Leader's Guide to Resource Allocation](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_fit,w_2560,h_1340/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Eng_Leaders_Guide_Resource_Allocation_-_1360?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

Download

## Align Engineering to Business Priorities

![Key Outcomes](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_fit,w_2560,h_1126/f_auto/q_auto/v1/the-engineering-leaders-dual-mandate?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

R&D leaders need to deliver efficiency AND business results

### The Blurred Line Between Engineering and Business Leaders

Software development is a distinct competitive advantage for every organization, so the lines get more blurred every day. Bottom line: Engineering leaders are leading businesses. The Engineering Leader’s Guide to Resource Allocation covers how to focus engineering on driving business outcomes by:

Checkmark

Collecting and analyzing the right data

Checkmark

Reporting and soliciting feedback from business stakeholders

Checkmark

It’s impossible to build a culture of accountability and ownership

Checkmark

Setting strategy and improvement goals for resource allocation

![Dora Performance](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_fit,w_2560,h_1711/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Investment_Dashboard?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

### Determine Total Cost of Engineering

Step one is to perform a detailed audit of your project management boards to see where all your work is being done and the total cost: actual monetary costs of dev salaries compared with project resourcing and opportunity cost of focusing on project ABC over project XYZ. [Automatically pull this data in](https://linearb.io/resources/dora-report) to ensure nothing is left behind.

![Performance Predictors](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_fit,w_2560,h_1229/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Investment_Benchmarks?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

### Evaluate Investments and Projects

Step two is to identify/prioritize high impact work (the kind that attracts new customers or drives retention), bucket work into investment areas (like New Value or Keeping the Lights On), determine current alignment to business priorities, understand execution trends, and [investigate the expected ROI of reallocation.](https://linearb.io/resources/roi-calculator)Basically you’re acting as the Rosetta Stone for business stakeholders.

![Importance of AI](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_fit,w_2560,h_1497/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Key_Engineering_Investments?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

### Report Findings and Present Recommendations

Step three is to align stakeholders, form your strategy, and [present your plan for moving forward.](https://linearb.io/resources/cto-board-slides)You’ll want to include:

Checkmark

Investment profile for your teams vs. [industry best practices ](https://linearb.io/resources/software-engineering-benchmarks-report)

Checkmark

High/low impact analysis

Checkmark

Execution data (like [DORA metrics](https://linearb.io/resources/dora-report))

Checkmark

Project resourcing, cost to date, and opportunity cost of reallocation

Establish a regular cadence of allocation/investment analysis, reporting, and presenting recommendations to key stakeholders.

### Define Strategy and Set Your Goals

Now it’s time to put the plan in action. Set your target investment benchmarks and resource allocation strategy based on current trends, identified opportunities, business needs, and stakeholder feedback. In addition to resourcing and investment profile, be sure to align your operational goals (covered in [The Engineering Leader’s Guide to Building a Metrics Program](https://linearb.io/resources/engineering-leader-guide-to-building-a-metrics-program)) to your strategy. 

## Download The Resource Allocation Guide

Download Your Free Copy

## More resources

[![Cover image for From measurement to action: moving off Appfire Flow without starting over](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_2560/f_auto/q_auto/v1/webinar_appfire_flow_migration_7387e46670?_a=BAVMn6ID0)](https://linearb.io/resources/flow-migration)

Workshop

[From measurement to action: moving off Appfire Flow without starting over](https://linearb.io/resources/flow-migration)

Join a live workshop on making the move off Appfire Flow without losing your history, your team structure, or your momentum. 

[![Cover image for Migrating from Appfire Flow: a practical guide for engineering teams](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_2560/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Blog_Moving_beyond_flow_88c071e703?_a=BAVMn6ID0)](https://linearb.io/resources/appfire-flow-migration-guide)

Guide

[Migrating from Appfire Flow: a practical guide for engineering teams](https://linearb.io/resources/appfire-flow-migration-guide)

Flow will cease operations in 2027\. If your team built workflows, dashboards, and quarterly reviews around Flow, you have a real problem on a fixed deadline. 

[![Cover image for Life beyond tokenmaxxing: AI efficiency for the long term](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_2560/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Email_Webinar_Stop_counting_tokes_88aced1c77?_a=BAVMn6ID0)](https://linearb.io/resources/life-beyond-tokenmaxxing)

Workshop

[Life beyond tokenmaxxing: AI efficiency for the long term](https://linearb.io/resources/life-beyond-tokenmaxxing)

Watch a 45-minute session on how to measure AI's real impact across the SDLC and win the executive conversation about engineering efficiency.

## Structured data

_Machine-readable metadata (JSON-LD) embedded in the page for search/AI context — not content rendered on the page itself._

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "LinearB",
  "url": "https://linearb.io",
  "logo": "https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/v1715628027/logo-mark-lg.svg",
  "description": "LinearB is the engineering productivity platform that helps engineering leaders prove AI is improving throughput without sacrificing delivery confidence, flow efficiency, or developer experience.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/linearb"
  ],
  "award": [
    {
      "@type": "Award",
      "name": "LinearB is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Developer Productivity Insight Platforms",
      "dateAwarded": "2026",
      "awardedBy": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Gartner®"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Award",
      "name": "Great Place to Work Certification",
      "dateAwarded": "2025-2027",
      "awardedBy": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Great Place to Work"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Award",
      "name": "America's Best Startup Employers 2025",
      "dateAwarded": "2025",
      "awardedBy": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Forbes Magazine"
      }
    }
  ],
  "hasCertification": [
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "SOC 1 Type 2"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "SOC 2 Type 2"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "GDPR Compliance certification"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "ISO 27001"
    }
  ]
}
```

## More on linearb.io

### Top navigation

- [Book a Demo](https://linearb.io/book-a-demo)
- [AI Code Reviews — Catch security risks, bugs, and spec mismatches](https://linearb.io/platform/ai-code-reviews)
- [AI & Productivity Insights — See how AI tools affect cycle time and delivery speed](https://linearb.io/platform/ai-developer-productivity-insights)
- [Measure AI Impact — Track AI adoption and tie it to delivery outcomes](https://linearb.io/use-case/measure-ai-impact)
- [MCP Server — Chat with your data to spot patterns and boost output](https://linearb.io/platform/mcp-server)
- [Resource Allocation — Cost initiatives and shape your investment strategy](https://linearb.io/platform/resource-allocation)
- [Cost Capitalization — Capitalize engineering costs with audit-ready reports](https://linearb.io/platform/cost-capitalization)
- [Dev Team Management — Set targets and tie throughput to business outcomes](https://linearb.io/platform/goals-and-reporting)
- [DevOps Workflow Automation — Policy-based PR routing, approvals, and tests](https://linearb.io/platform/ai-workflow-governance)
- [AI Powered Support — Unify AI and human code delivery in one clear view](https://linearb.io/use-case/ai-powered-support)
- [Optimization — Surface friction with feedback and MCP insights](https://linearb.io/platform/developer-experience)
- [Reporting — Spot what's working and what needs attention](https://linearb.io/use-case/measuring-developer-experience)
- [Surveys — Turn developer feedback into actionable signals](https://linearb.io/platform/developer-surveys)
- [Platform overview](https://linearb.io/platform/overview)
- [Register now](https://linearb.io/event/engineering-productivity-gap)
- [Customers](https://linearb.io/customers)
- [Pricing](https://linearb.io/pricing)
- [Why choose LinearB — Explore your data. Measure performance. Act to improve it.](https://linearb.io/why-linearb)
- [APEX framework — The operating model for AI-era engineering teams](https://linearb.io/resources/apex-framework)
- [Anti-FAQ — The questions other vendors won't answer](https://linearb.io/why-linearb/anti-faq)
- [Security — Enterprise-grade compliance and zero code access](https://linearb.io/security)
- [Build vs. buy — The hidden cost of building it yourself](https://linearb.io/resources/build-vs-buy)
- [Dev Interrupted Podcast — Conversations with engineering leaders](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcasts)
- [Reports & Guides — Deep dives on productivity and delivery](https://linearb.io/resources)
- [Webinars — Expert sessions on productivity and AI](https://linearb.io/resources?category=workshops)
- [Metrics Benchmarks — See how your engineering org stacks up](https://linearb.io/resources/software-engineering-benchmarks-report)
- [Blog — Product updates and practical insights](https://linearb.io/blog)
- [Help Center — Documentation, setup, and support](https://linearb.helpdocs.io)
- [API Docs](https://docs.linearb.io/api-overview)
- [Status](https://www.linearbstatus.com/)
- [Integrations](https://linearb.io/integrations)
- [LinearB is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Developer Productivity Insight Platforms](https://linearb.io/resources/gartner-magic-quadrant-dpi-platforms-2026)
- [Sign in](https://app.linearb.io/login)
- [Enterprise](https://linearb.io/solutions/enterprise)
- [Contact](https://linearb.io/contact-us)
- [About us](https://linearb.io/about-us)
- [Careers](https://linearb.io/careers)
- [Service agreement](https://linearb.io/services-agreement)
- [Privacy policy](https://linearb.io/privacy-policy)
- [DPA](https://linearb.io/data-processing-agreement)
- [Security FAQ](https://linearb.io/security-faq)
- [Substack](https://devinterrupted.substack.com/)

### Footer

_Additional links from the site footer, not repeated from the top navigation above._

- [GitHub](https://github.com/linear-b)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/linearb)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/LinearB_Inc)