DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) metrics are a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) used to measure the performance of software development and delivery teams. These metrics were developed by a team of researchers at Google, who analyzed data from over 23,000 organizations to identify the key factors that differentiate high-performing teams from low-performing ones.

There are four main DORA metrics that are used to assess the performance of DevOps teams:

  1. Deployment Frequency: This metric measures how often teams deploy new code changes to production. High-performing teams typically deploy changes multiple times per day, while low-performing teams may only deploy changes once every few months.
  2. Lead Time for Changes: This metric measures the time it takes for code changes to be developed, tested, and deployed to production. High-performing teams typically have lead times of hours or days, while low-performing teams may take weeks or even months to deploy changes.
  3. Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR): This metric measures how quickly teams can recover from failures in production. High-performing teams typically have MTTRs of minutes or hours, while low-performing teams may take days or even weeks to recover from failures.
  4. Change Failure Rate: This metric measures the percentage of code changes that result in failures in production. High-performing teams typically have low change failure rates, while low-performing teams may experience failures with a high percentage of their code changes.

These metrics are used by organizations to assess the effectiveness of their DevOps processes, identify areas for improvement, and track progress over time. By focusing on these key metrics, teams can identify bottlenecks in their development and delivery processes, implement process improvements, and ultimately deliver software more quickly and with higher quality.

In conclusion, DORA metrics are an essential tool for DevOps teams looking to improve their performance and deliver high-quality software more quickly. By tracking deployment frequency, lead time for changes, mean time to recovery, and change failure rate, teams can identify areas for improvement and implement process improvements that lead to better outcomes. As organizations continue to rely more heavily on software, the importance of DORA metrics will only continue to grow.