Code Climate Guest Post: Boost Engineering Speed With Objective Data

Engineering intelligence platform Code Climate's Velocity recommends using code Cycle Time as an objective metric for measuring engineering speed. This measurement focuses on the time between a developer's first commit in a pull request (PR) and when it is ultimately deployed, allowing teams to isolate coding activities from planning and design. By breaking down Cycle Time into four components - Time to Open, Time to First Review, Time to Approve, and Time to Deploy - engineering leaders can identify areas for improvement and work with their team to optimize the software development pipeline. Coaching developers on good coding hygiene, limiting work in progress, and improving communication can help reduce Time to Open and overall Cycle Time. Involving the entire team in identifying bottlenecks and implementing solutions can lead to further optimization and increased engineering speed.