Deployment frequency is the rate at which software changes are deployed to a target environment. As a DORA measure, it indicates how often teams successfully deliver changes and can reflect delivery agility. section 3.4.3 section 10.1.2
Use the metric carefully in platform engineering. It can help individual teams assess sizing and velocity, but it is a poor standalone measure of platform performance because team behavior and other challenges also affect it. section 3.4.3
Pair deployment frequency with measures that explain its movement:
- Track the percentage of automated deployments to reveal whether delivery depends on manual work. section 10.1.2
- Track deployment frequency per team to expose uneven adoption, bottlenecks, or teams needing additional platform support. section 10.1.2
- Compare it with lead time for changes and change failure rate so faster delivery does not conceal reliability problems. section 3.4.3 section 10.1.2
Epetech’s measurement pattern
Epetech sought to increase successful daily deployments while monitoring automated-deployment percentages and deployment frequency per team. Teams used these leading indicators to find bottlenecks and identify where automation could improve. section 10.1.2
Figure 10.2 Key leading metrics used by Epetech to understand and use the DORA lagging metrics
Use the metric relationship diagram to connect deployment frequency with leading indicators and the other DORA measures. section 10.1.2
