What metrics should you track to improve software development reporting?

2 Defect Rate

Defect rate is the percentage of software tasks that have errors or bugs that need to be fixed. It is a measure of how reliable and accurate your software development output is, and how well you follow quality standards and best practices. By tracking defect rate, you can assess the impact of defects on your software quality, customer satisfaction, and reputation, and prioritize your testing and debugging efforts. You can visualize defect rate using bar charts, pie charts, or heat maps, and segment it by severity, type, or source.

3 Technical Debt

Technical debt is the amount of work that needs to be done to improve or refactor your software code to make it more maintainable, scalable, and secure. It is a measure of how sustainable and future-proof your software development strategy is, and how well you balance short-term and long-term goals. By tracking technical debt, you can evaluate the trade-offs and risks of your software design decisions, and plan your technical improvement initiatives. You can visualize technical debt using stacked area charts, treemaps, or radar charts, and break it down by category, complexity, or priority.

4 Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is the collection of opinions, ratings, reviews, or suggestions that your software users provide about your software products or services. It is a measure of how valuable and satisfying your software development outcome is, and how well you meet your customer needs and expectations. By tracking customer feedback, you can gauge the effectiveness and relevance of your software features, functions, and usability, and identify areas for improvement or innovation. You can visualize customer feedback using word clouds, sentiment analysis, or NPS (Net Promoter Score) charts, and filter it by channel, segment, or topic.

5 Business Value

Business value is the quantification of the benefits or outcomes that your software products or services generate for your organization or stakeholders. It is a measure of how aligned and impactful your software development vision is, and how well you deliver on your strategic objectives and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). By tracking business value, you can justify your software investments and resources, and demonstrate your software ROI (Return on Investment) and value proposition. You can visualize business value using dashboards, scorecards, or gauges, and link it to your financial, operational, or strategic metrics.