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Software Development Metrics

How do you know the engineering is getting better — not just busier?

The Engineering Quality Benchmarks define thresholds. This page tracks whether you're hitting them. Without both, standards are static checklists. With both, Deming's loop runs: Plan (set the threshold) → Do (build to spec) → Check (measure here) → Act (update the standard).

The Loop​

STANDARDS (eng quality benchmarks)  → defines "module count < 200 per route"
    ↓
BUILD (best practices)              → developer follows checklists
    ↓
DETECT (anti-patterns)              → catch violations before they compound
    ↓
MEASURE (this page)                 → did we hit the threshold?
    ↓
BETTER STANDARDS                    → benchmarks evolve

Leading Indicators​

Predict engineering quality before users encounter problems.

MetricThresholdToolCadence
Modules per route<= 200Module count scriptEvery build
JS bundle per page<= 200KB gzippednext build outputEvery deploy
Full typecheck0 errorstsc --buildEvery PR
New any or @ts-ignore0 added per PRGrep diffEvery PR
Module boundary violations0 on nx lintESLintEvery PR
eslint-disable countTrending to 0Grep + trackWeekly
export * outside entry-points0 instancesGrepWeekly
composite: true compliance100% of lib tsconfigsGrepAfter config changes
Build time (affected)<= 60 secondsCI timingEvery PR
Dev server cold start<= 15 secondsLocal measurementAfter dependency changes

Lagging Indicators​

Confirm engineering quality through delivery outcomes. These are DORA metrics — the industry standard for software delivery performance.

MetricWhat It RevealsThresholdTool
Deployment frequencyHow often you shipDaily or more (Elite)CI/CD pipeline
Lead time for changesPR open to productionUnder 1 day (Elite)Git timestamps
Change failure rateHow often deploys breakUnder 5% (Elite)Incident tracking
Mean time to recoverHow fast you fix breaksUnder 1 hour (Elite)Incident tracking
Cycle timeCode to merged PRUnder 24 hoursGit + review tooling
Code churn rateRewrites within 2 weeksUnder 15%Git analysis
Build cache hit rateNx cache effectiveness>= 80%Nx Cloud or CI stats

Monitoring Cadence​

FrequencyWhat to Check
Every PRType errors, boundary violations, new any usage, bundle size diff
Every deployModule count per route, build time, cache hit rate
Weeklyeslint-disable count, barrel hygiene, export * audit
MonthlyDORA metrics, cycle time trends, code churn rate
QuarterlyFull engineering quality audit against benchmarks, review which thresholds need updating

Feedback Path​

When metrics reveal patterns, update the standard:

PatternAction
Module count consistently under 100Tighten threshold
Build time creeping above 60sAudit dependency graph for new barrel blowouts
eslint-disable count increasingBlock PRs that add new disables without justification
A threshold is always met effortlesslyAutomate it (CI check), remove from manual checklist
A threshold is never metEither fix the system or adjust the threshold with justification
DORA metrics stallingTrace bottleneck — usually review turnaround or flaky tests

If the system always prevents the violation, stop checking manually and let CI enforce it.

Dig Deeper​

Context​