Optimize R&D KPIs

Ensuring you are on top of your engineering metrics is crucial because it allows you to gauge the effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability of your R&D team. By continuously monitoring these KPIs, you can make informed decisions that propel innovation and maintain competitive advantage. TargetBoard is the fastest way for managers to align their KPIs, understand their business, set clear goals, and present their achievements.

Popular R&D Targets

Improve Velocity
‍Focus on Cycle Time, Deployment Frequency, and Lead Time for Changes. Enhancing these metrics is vital as they directly impact how quickly your team can deliver updates and new features, influencing market responsiveness and customer satisfaction.  
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Improve Quality
‍Monitor Defect Escape Rate, Code Quality, and Post-release Bugs. Quality metrics ensure that your products meet the high standards your customers expect, reducing the cost of fixes and maintaining brand reputation.  
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Increase Capacity
‍Track Team Bandwidth, Resource Utilization, and Work in Progress Limits. Understanding capacity helps you optimize resource allocation, ensuring that your team is not over or underutilized, maintaining an ideal flow of work.  
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Improve Predictability
‍Observe Release Stability, Variability in Cycle Times, and Commit-to-Deploy Time. Predictability in R&D allows for better planning and reliability in product delivery, essential for stakeholder trust and strategic alignment.
  
Reduce Cost: Evaluate Cost Per Deployment, Rework Cost, and Technology Debt. Reducing costs without compromising quality is key to maintaining budget efficiency and funding innovation.

Common R&D Dependencies

Product Management
‍Friction often arises over priorities, resource allocation, and scope definitions. Clear communication and aligned objectives are crucial to mitigate these issues.  

Customer Support
Issues include mismatched expectations on issue resolutions and feature requests. Integrating support insights with R&D planning can enhance product relevance and user satisfaction.  

HR
‍Challenges include skill gaps and team scalability. Strategic hiring and proactive training programs aligned with R&D needs are essential.  

IT
‍Dependencies often involve infrastructure support and security measures. Coordination ensures that R&D has the necessary tools and access rights without compromising security or performance.

Top Engineering Metrics

Cycle Time
‍Measures the time from work start to work completion, highlighting process efficiency.

Planning Accuracy
‍Compares estimated times against actuals, reflecting forecasting effectiveness.

Time to Resolve Production Issues
‍Indicates responsiveness and ability to minimize downtime.

Investment Allocation
‍Assesses how resources are distributed among projects, ensuring strategic alignment.

Closed Story Points per Sprint
‍Tracks team output, providing insight into sprint planning effectiveness.

Important Engineering Metrics

Time in Blocked Status
Identifies bottlenecks that hinder workflow efficiency.

Bug Origin
Tracks where and by whom bugs are discovered, aiding in pinpointing systemic issues.

Time to Reply to Escalated Customer Support Requests
Measures responsiveness to critical customer issues.

Effort Wasted on Changed Requirements
Quantifies the impact of scope changes on team efficiency.

Effort Wasted on Changed Priorities
Evaluates how shifts in strategic direction affect operational effectiveness.

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Interested in exploring how TargetBoard can help you achieve your goals better and set your engineering team up for success?