The Science of Software Delivery Performance
Performance Metrics | Technical Operations Excellence
| Metric | Elite | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Frequency | On-demand | >6 months |
| Lead Time for Changes | <1 day | >6 months |
| Change Failure Rate | 0-15% | >64% |
| MTTR | <1 hour | >6 months |
Elite performers: 182x more deploys, 2,293x faster recovery
| # | Capability |
|---|---|
| 1 | Version control |
| 2 | Deployment automation |
| 3 | Continuous integration |
| 4 | Trunk-based development |
| 5 | Test automation |
| 6 | Database change management |
| 7 | Shift left on security |
| 8 | Loosely coupled architecture |
| # | Capability |
|---|---|
| 9 | Generative culture (Westrum) |
| 10 | Job satisfaction |
| 11 | Learning culture |
| 12 | Transformational leadership |
| 13 | Work-life balance |
| # | Capability |
|---|---|
| 14 | Work visibility |
| 15 | Working in small batches |
| 16 | Team experimentation |
| # | Capability |
|---|---|
| 17 | Monitoring & observability |
| 18 | Proactive failure notification |
| 19 | WIP limits |
| 20 | Visualizing work |
| # | Capability |
|---|---|
| 21 | Customer feedback |
| 22 | Value stream visibility |
| 23 | Working in flow state |
| 24 | User research integration |
CI/CD, version control, test automation
Loosely coupled, trunk-based, small batches
Generative culture, learning, leadership
You can't buy your way to high performance. Culture and practices matter more than tools.
- DORA Research
Continuous Improvement
The journey to elite performance is incremental.