DORA metrics are the most well-known DevOps metrics.
They are often met with skepticism.
“Another KPI.”
“More control.”
In reality, DORA is not about performance evaluation.
It is a navigation instrument to identify systemic problems at an early stage.
How does that work?
DORA metrics measure exactly where value is created:
- How reliably do we deliver?
- How quickly does an idea reach production?
- How often do our changes cause issues in the production system?
- How fast do we restore normal operations after an incident?
When lead time increases, it is rarely due to a lack of developer effort.
More often, the causes are dependencies, handovers, decision paths, or architectural boundaries.
When recovery time is high, the problem is usually not competence —
but unclear ownership, insufficient observability, or limited decision authority.
DORA makes these systemic effects visible.
Not for control — but for improvement.
Especially in Scrum or SAFe environments, these metrics help to:
- Drive fact-based discussions
- Identify system bottlenecks
- Improve teamwork in measurable ways
- Validate architectural and process decisions
With Sprintometer, we combine DORA with Scrum and SAFe metrics
so that you don’t see isolated numbers —
but a holistic view of flow, stability, and collaboration.
