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How to Interpret Software Developer Performance Metrics with Jimmy Jacobson, CTO of Codingscape

In this episode of the Engineering Leadership series, Tracy Lee sits down with Jimmy Jacobson, the CTO of Codingscape, to discuss the current state of engineering teams and their accountability in today's economy. As the conversation unfolds, Jimmy sheds light on the challenges faced by engineering teams in measuring the impact of changes made within organizations during the economic downturn. He shares that companies are embracing more risky bets and investing in research and development to create new job opportunities and drive growth.

One of the key topics discussed is the measurement of developer productivity. Jimmy introduces frameworks that can be used to assess and track productivity: The Dora metrics focus on key performance indicators such as cycle time, deployment frequency, mean time to restore service, and change failure rate. These metrics provide valuable insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering teams.

On the other hand, the SPACE framework takes a more holistic approach by combining output and stability with team satisfaction and well-being, performance outcomes, activities, communication and collaboration, and efficiency and flow. This comprehensive framework provides a more nuanced understanding of the overall health and productivity of engineering teams.

DX is another framework used by many SaaS platforms out there like Jellyfish and Code Climate for dashboards that can visualize and track teams. These tools provide real-time data and analytics, enabling teams to make data-driven decisions and identify areas for improvement.

In addition to these frameworks and tools, Jimmy introduces McKinsey's framework (or “McCringey” as Jimmy puts it), which emphasizes the ratio of time spent in the inner loop to the outer loop for developers. The inner loop refers to the time spent on core development tasks, while the outer loop encompasses activities such as meetings, planning, and coordination. According to Jimmy, the inner loop is where engineers can have the most impact and should therefore be prioritized. Tools like Jellyfish can be used to collect stand-up data and generate a General Purpose Technology (GPT) for engineering, further enhancing productivity and efficiency.

This Dot Labs is a development consultancy that is trusted by top industry companies, including Stripe, Xero, Wikimedia, Docusign, and Twilio. This Dot takes a hands-on approach by providing tailored development strategies to help you approach your most pressing challenges with clarity and confidence. Whether it's bridging the gap between business and technology or modernizing legacy systems, you’ll find a breadth of experience and knowledge you need. Check out how This Dot Labs can empower your tech journey.

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Instead, they incorporate a number of technologies within their product’s technical ecosystem to demonstrate its value to a developer’s workflow. I had the pleasure of working with Doron Sherman during his tenure at Cloudinary as VP of Developer Relations. Doron has extensive experience with building developer communities, and successfully advocated internally to build a website called Media Jams, a learning resource for developers working with media in their apps. By having this initiative live under Developer Relations, and not under Product, Marketing, or Engineering, Doron and his team built quickly and created a site that prioritized education, without needing to meet the business objectives of other parts of the organization. > “Media Jams has had great organic growth as a community resource. 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