DORA metrics are four research-backed measures that show how well software delivery actually works. Instead of tracking activity like story points or tickets closed, they focus on real outcomes: how often teams deploy, how long changes take to reach production, how frequently releases cause issues, and how quickly teams recover when things break. Together, these metrics balance speed and stability, helping engineering leaders spot bottlenecks, reduce risk, and improve delivery predictability without burning out their teams.
Engineering leaders don’t struggle because they lack data, but because much of the data they see tells an incomplete story. Sprint velocity looks fine, tickets keep moving, and roadmaps are full, yet delivery still feels slower and less predictable than it should. When metrics suggest progress but results don’t follow, it’s often because teams are tracking activity instead of understanding where work truly slows down.
Yet delivery still feels:
That disconnect is exactly why DORA metrics matter.
They cut through noise and answer one core question:
Is our engineering system actually working?
This article breaks down what DORA metrics are, why they matter, and how high-performing teams use them to improve delivery without burning people out.
DORA metrics come from the DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) group, best known for the annual State of DevOps reports.
After studying thousands of engineering organizations across industries, sizes, and maturity levels, DORA found something important:
The best-performing teams weren't winning because they worked harder. They were winning because their delivery systems flowed better.
From that research, four metrics consistently predicted high performance.
At a high level, DORA metrics measure how effectively software work moves from development to production. They focus on four core dimensions: the speed at which work progresses, how frequently teams deliver changes, the risk introduced by those changes, and how quickly teams recover when issues occur.
Together, these metrics provide a balanced view of speed and stability. While many organizations attempt to manage both, few measure them consistently or objectively.
This is why DORA metrics have become foundational engineering metrics for DevOps, platform, and product teams.
Many organizations still rely on:
These metrics aren't useless but they're limited.
Sprint velocity, in particular, is:
Two teams can have identical velocity and wildly different delivery performance.
DORA metrics solve that problem.
They:
For engineering leaders, they answer the questions that actually matter:
How often does your team deploy to production?
This metric measures how quickly value reaches users.
High deployment frequency usually signals:
Elite teams deploy frequently not because they rush but because they've reduced friction in their delivery system.
DORA benchmarks:
When deployment frequency drops, it's rarely a motivation issue. It's almost always a system bottleneck.
How long does it take for code to go live after it's written?
Lead time is one of the most revealing DORA metrics because it exposes where work actually gets stuck.
It includes:
Most teams assume coding is the bottleneck. In reality, work usually stalls between steps.
DORA benchmarks:
Long lead times don't mean engineers are slow. They mean the system has friction.
How often do deployments cause problems?
This metric keeps speed honest.
Failures include:
DORA benchmarks:
High-performing teams don't eliminate failure. They design for safe, recoverable failure.
Small changes. Fast feedback. Calm recovery.
Definition: When something breaks, how quickly can service be restored?
Failures are inevitable in any software system. What separates high-performing teams from struggling ones is not whether incidents occur, but how quickly they recover. Recovery speed directly determines customer impact, operational disruption, and leadership confidence.
DORA Benchmarks for MTTR
A low MTTR typically reflects operational maturity. It often indicates clear ownership, strong observability, and a repeatable incident response process that allows teams to act quickly without confusion.
A high MTTR, on the other hand, usually signals structural friction. Ownership may be unclear. Escalation paths may be informal. Recovery may depend on manual coordination rather than predefined systems. In most cases, slow recovery is not caused by lack of effort. It is caused by lack of clarity.
Most teams don't struggle because they don't care.
They struggle because they can't see where delivery slows down.
Without clear visibility:
This is where modern engineering intelligence tools matter.
Platforms like DevHawk focus on:
Instead of reacting late, leaders can spot issues early before they become systemic.
The conversation shifts from:
"Why is this team slow?"
to:
"Where is our delivery system creating drag?"
That shift is everything.
While DORA metrics are often associated with DevOps, they're not DevOps-only.
They apply to:
If your team delivers code to production, DORA metrics apply.
What are DORA metrics?
They are four research-backed metrics that measure software delivery performance: deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate, and mean time to recovery.
Are DORA metrics better than sprint velocity?
Yes. Sprint velocity measures output within a team. DORA metrics measure system-level delivery outcomes across teams.
How do teams track DORA metrics effectively?
By integrating existing tools and focusing on trends over time, instead of depending on manual reporting or isolated dashboards.
DORA metrics are not about control. They provide clarity into how work actually flows through an organization. When leaders understand where momentum builds and where it slows, they can improve delivery without micromanaging teams or adding unnecessary processes.
This creates space for teams to move faster in a sustainable way, without increasing burnout.
When DORA metrics become the foundation for decision-making, everything else becomes easier to manage. To see where delivery truly slows down and address issues before they become problems, start a free trial with DevHawk.
