Making developer productivity metrics actionable

Bill Doerrfeld | April 25, 2025

The latest edition of DirectorPlus looks at how to turn developer metrics into actual improvements.


Developer productivity metrics are useless if they're just sitting in dashboards. So, how can we use them to direct positive, real-world action?


Had a great conversation with Laura Tacho, CTO of DX, about practical tips. In summary: 


💥 You have to actually budget time to respond to the signals you get!

💥 Leaders need to evangelize DevEx, and get executive buy-in.

💥 Focus on granular "improvement metrics" — they're more addressable than lagging indicators, like cycle time.

💥 Flip on failure modes to trigger changes/alerts when things go south.


All this and more in the the latest edition of DirectorPlus for LeadDev.


If you are a director or engineering leader, be sure to subscribe to DirectorPlus for this monthly column in your inbox.


Featured image credit: Kai Dahms


Read: Focus on improvement metrics that actually matter

Sign up to the DirectorPlus newsletter for a new story in your inbox each month featuring on-the-ground insights from some of the industry's top engineering leaders. Or, if you would like to be featured in the series, please read this.

Other Blog Posts

Can zero standing privilege secure agentic AI?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 13, 2026
The latest advancement in identity and access management (IAM) is something called zero standing privilege. It's a response to new agentic AI risks.

Are shared libraries on their way out?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 7, 2026
Big surprise: it's way easier to generate new code with AI than to reuse old code. But what are the long-term effects?

AI coding agents are now the default

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 25, 2026
Agentic coding tools have become the default. "When we've taken that away accidentally from people, they scream."

Your AI model might disappear tomorrow: what now?

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 17, 2026
My latest for LeadDev considers how engineering leaders should respond in the wake of uncertainty in the AI model market.

My research into 10 MCP gateways

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 10, 2026
I'm working with Zuplo on some new content around their MCP Gateway release. First up: a deep comparison of MCP gateways on the market!

Signs point to AI talent redistribution, not replacement

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 10, 2026
The constant barrage of AI layoffs is overshadowing the economic reasons behind these cuts, as well as the net-positive talent redistribution happening at large.

Reviewing MCP servers to connect with databases

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 8, 2026
My latest for InfoWorld reviews MCP servers and agent-ready tools for connecting AI agents with popular database styles.

When do you pull the plug on software projects?

By Bill Doerrfeld • May 29, 2026
For my latest DirectorPlus edition, Joel Carusone from NinjaOne shares how engineering leaders can build the muscle for making tough calls.
Close-up of a glowing laptop keyboard in blue light, viewed at an angle with the screen above

How MCP supports context engineering

By Bill Doerrfeld • May 25, 2026
My latest InfoWorld feature explores how Model Context Protocol (MCP) supports context engineering for AI-assisted coding.
A set of metal keys on a keyring resting on a wooden surface.

API keys don't equal security. Here are 10 reasons why.

By Bill Doerrfeld • May 22, 2026
My latest for Nordic APIs explores 10 API key security risks and what to use alongside keys for stronger API security.