Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
If you skipped straight to the HN comments, the article is worth reading. The author makes some thoughtful suggestions and points out some common pitfalls.<p>Although recently, I&#x27;ve noticed another reason to tread lightly with metrics: Metrics have become a highly-charged topic among developers who consume a lot of Twitter, Reddit, HN and other developer chatter. The cynical response to any metrics tracking program is to claim that they will be gamed, or abused, or misused by management. Once your team has adopted this cynical mindset, they&#x27;re unlikely to see metrics any other way, so they get to work gaming and abusing the system.<p>In my experience, getting as much team buy-in as possible is the key to making metrics a success. It&#x27;s healthy to invite the teams to an open discussion about what metrics they think should be tracked. Give them an opportunity to openly discuss objections, and make a valid effort to acknowledge and work with their suggestions as you develop your metrics program. Ideally, you would find one or two metrics that benefit the team members directly rather than the company or management.<p>It&#x27;s important that developers can see the metrics as an open target to help them excel within the company, rather than a punitive measure or something that management can use as a substitute for real engagement. When team metrics decline, use that opportunity to open a discussion with the team. If you let metrics become a punitive measure or a guide for who gets promoted or fired, they will absolutely be gamed to death.